Blue Skies and Red Grass
by Lordoftheghostking28
Summary: The 174th Annual Hunger Games are in progress from this day forward. 24 Tributes, one victor. Who will win it all? May the odds be ever in their favour.
1. Chapter 1

**PROLOGUE**

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**Nothin' like some Hunger Games and murder on Christmas Day!**

**I know I shouldn't be writing yet another story, but I have to because of Catching Fire. It was a good movie. You should see it if you haven't. Now, onward!**

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**SONIC'S POV**

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The Reaping was to take place in five minutes.

Everyone was already gathered in the center of town, waiting for those final moments to vanish. Everyone wore a mask of fear and horror. I didn't spot a single smiling face in the crowd.

The stage was set up, constructed by the Capitol leaders within the week. One of their spokesperson, a cat with bright yellow dyed fur, was already at the podium, eyes glued to the clock in the midst of all the people. Banners and flags waved everywhere, bearing the black and red image of our president's face or the green and orange logo for the 174th annual Hunger Games.

The clock began to chime a low, rusted tune. The spokesperson smiled brightly. I couldn't believe she was actually excited for this.

"Welcome, ladies and gentlemen, of Zone 1!" She grinned. It was unnatural among the stoic faces. "Welcome to the 174th annual Reaping for the 174th Hunger Games!"

The Peacekeepers lining the stage along with the Capitol personnel began a slow, mechanical clap. They were the only ones.

The lady continued, turning to small note cards in her hands. "This is sure to be an exciting year! A brand-new Arena awaits you! New challenges are waiting to be overcome!" She gestured to the two glass Reaping balls. I knew, somewhere in the one on the right, my name had been entered five times.

"Let us not waste any more time with this idle talk! You will all witness the spectacular Games individually. Now, on with the Reaping! Ladies first!"

She gestured to the first glass Reaping ball. The left one. She slowly, almost painfully, reached into it and drew out a name, taking her sweet time to unfold it and clear her throat.

Everyone in the crowd held their breath. No one blinked. I felt myself grow tense. This was who I would most likely form my first alliance with…

"The female Tribute from Zone 1 is…" the speaker trailed off.

I wanted to scream. Just say it. Come on, spare us more torture and just _say it_…

"Amy Rose!"

Silence. I supposed this Amy girl was too stunned to move. Slowly, as though afraid the ground would break and swallow her whole, she broke away from the crowd and slowly ascended the stage's stairs.

She was a pink hedgehog with short quills, a red headband, and a red dress. Her green eyes were glazed over and her muzzle was pale. She didn't seem to register the fact that she had just been chosen to die…

"And now, the male Tribute of Zone 1!" the spokesperson said gleefully. She gave a merry giggle and reached into the other Reaping ball.

I couldn't hear anything but my own blood rushing in my ears. She seemed to take more time in reaching into the ball and drawing out the paper. It slipped from her hand and she stooped to pick it up.

Come on, hurry up…just get this over with…!

"The male Tribute for Zone 1 is…" she took another unneeded, drawn-out pause. "Sonic the Hedgehog."

I watched as those gathered around me slowly turned, gluing their eyes on me. Some of them moved out of the way to clear a path for me… To clear a path to my death.

I took a step forward. My knees were shaking. I didn't know if I would make it to the stairs of the stage.

Somehow, I found myself standing beside Amy, who was softly crying now. She didn't face the crowd as the spokesperson clapped and grinned at us. My Zone seemed to be staring at me, as though thanking Chaos that it was us and not them.

**XxXxXxXx**

**Zone 1 Tributes have been revealed. Join in next week or something for more people and murder and stuff.**

**Hasta la Vista, Readers!**

**Lordoftheghostking28**


	2. Chapter 2

**CHAPTER 2**

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**Ok, more Hunger Game stuff! I'm really getting into this story! It's so fun to write people I have never really written before!**

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**ROUGE'S POV  
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I suppose I had been lucky to evade the Games up until now.

But still…I suppose no one can escape them forever.

After the Reaping, my new Tribute friend and I made our way to the train that would take us to the Capitol. I was surprised by how calm I felt. Usually Tributes had to be dragged away, kicking and screaming. Like last year.

I shuddered internally and took to staring out the window at my Zone. I suppose this would be the last time I would see it for a while. Goodbye, Zone 11. You won't be missed.

The Tribute across from me, an albatross named Storm, had fixed his gaze on the ground. Just from looking at him, I could tell he was strong. Big, strong and dumb. The grey bird would make a perfect ally.

"I wonder if it will rain," I sighed, turning my gaze back to the window. "It was looking overcast the entire day."

He didn't say anything.

"You know, the key to success in the Arena is to get on my good side." I crossed my legs and turned back to him. "I'm going to offer you a truce. You seem like a strong guy. A girl needs someone like you."

Again, nothing.

"The strong, silent type. I like that." I smirked.

"How can you talk lightly of this?" He growled.

"You must not know me." I said. "I intend to win. I can get a lot of good sponsors and I already have a plan."

"I don't need a sponsor," he mumbled.

"The Arena might change your mind." I chided.

"I don't need your alliance."

"Don't make decisions too fast." I said. "Because once you refuse a deal I offer, there's no going back."

The doors opened and the neon yellow cat from the Reaping stepped in. "We will be stopping in Zone 12 in a few hours. Until then, you may socialize with the other Tributes."

"Good idea." I stood. "There's bound to be someone out there that's got brains." I strode to the door.

Storm continued to sit in the empty train car, staring at the ground.

**XxXxXxXx**

**ANTOINE'S POV**

**XxXxXxXx**

_Sacre Bleu_!

My worst nightmare was coming true! I had always nightmared of the Arena when I was little…I never imagined I would take part in their sick Games!

I was sitting in the back of the train, staring at the tracks as we sped forward. I already missed my Zone…I missed everyone already. How would I make it through this? I was nothing but a _lậche_! A coward! I would be killed before any of the others!

The door of the car opened, startling me. I whipped around, expecting to find one of the other bloodthirsty Tributes. Instead, I saw my partner from Zone 7.

"Oh, Antoine…" she sighed. "It's just me."

"_Oui_, B-Bunnie." I stuttered. "Yes…just you. Forgive me and my cowardly-lines."

"You mean cowardliness?"

I directed my gaze outside of the train again. "Yes. That."

She sat next to me. I cast her a glance and met her eyes. "How am I going to survive? I'll be dead before ze Games begin!"

"No, you won't." Bunnie said. "Do ya know why?"

"Why?" I asked.

"Because I'll be with you. I want an alliance."

"With _moi_?! But…you'll be killed!"

"Don't be silly. You can fight! With the right sword, the other Tributes won't know what hit 'em!" she smacked her fist into her robotic palm. "And 'sides, this here arm 'n' legs will send them flyin'!"

She was right… one punch would send anyone to the hospital for weeks. I had a strange feeling, though…but I couldn't place it. It felt like dread.

"What's wrong? You seem really worried."

"Just thinking." I sighed. "What if….if…" I pointed to her inorganic arm and legs. "What if they somehow forbid you from using them?"

"Well, that would be against the Games." Bunnie said. "They can't rob a Tribute of their ability to function."

"Maybe…" I thought for a few more seconds. "Maybe…!" I grinned and sprang up, excited at my new idea. "Maybe they'll turn you back to normal! You'll have your arm and legs again!"

She laughed. "That is a thought…a far fetched one, but a thought nonetheless. Maybe they will."

"_Oui_!" I pranced around for a few more seconds. "That would be a _bénédiction_! A blessing!"

"A mixed blessing," Bunnie laughed again. "I'm still stuck in th' Games."

My happiness was immediately replaced with fear again. "Oh…Zat is right."

"It'll still be all right if they don't." Bunnie said. "After all, I have a good chance of winning an' taking you with me. There will be two victors of th' Games this year!"

"Ah, zat would be incredible!"

The door to the car opened once again. I froze, unsure of our new visitor. I suppose my fear made it to my face.

"Are you from Zone 7?" A small yellow fox kit asked. "I'm trying to find allies. Who are you?"

I felt my stomach drop. A child…a child had been picked for the Games. How sickening…!

"I'm Bunnie, sugar." Bunnie said. "An' this here is Antoine. Who might you be?"

"I'm Miles Prower, but everyone calls me Tails," the fox said, "because I have two." He twirled both tails.

"Oh, what a surprise." Bunnie smiled. "What Zone are you from?"

"I'm from Zone 2…it's boring there." He turned to look at me. "So do you want to be my allies?"

"Of course, sugar." Bunnie said. "I'd love to help a little cutie like you."

Tails grinned. "Ok! Thanks!" He turned and skipped out of the car.

"Poor honey doesn't know what he's gotten into." Bunnie's smile vanished as soon as the doors shut. I saw a tear form in her eye. "And because of that, he's more likely to be viewed as weak. We're gonna protect that little sugar-kit as much as we can."

"And there will be three Champions this year, no? Or still two?" I inquired.

Bunnie dropped her gaze back to the ground. "I'd rather he live than me."

**XxXxXxXx**

**SONIC'S POV**

**XxXxXxXx**

By the time the Tributes from Zone 12 had been picked up I had already met half of the Tributes. They were….interesting…to say the least.

For starters, I didn't want to be allies with anyone.

Amy, the girl from my Zone, was too clingy and needy. I had to pry myself away from her and lock myself in another car of the train just to get some time alone.

The Tributes from Zone 2 were too innocent and caring. Tails, a young kit who couldn't be any older than eight, and Sally, a young girl about my age. They were too open, too friendly, and too carefree. As much as I wanted to join forces with them, I couldn't. It would tear me apart if something happened to them.

Zone 3 was another story. The Tributes were strong and hardy. They've already seen action. Same goes for Zones 4, 6, 8 and 12. They were serious. They would be hard to deal with.

The remaining Zones' Tributes were…odd. Every one had a certain flaw that made them almost impossible to work with. In the end, I decided I would be a loner. At least until someone caught my interest. Maybe someone was hiding a secret skill.

Until then, I wouldn't get to know them. It would make it easier for me in the Arena if I had to kill them…

I was distracted from my morbid thoughts by a human girl dressed in a white dress. She had fiery red hair, with little feather combs set over her ears. She had a group of Tributes gathered around her.

They were all laughing. As if they were genuinely enjoying themselves.

I couldn't help but listen in on the jokes she told. She had some good ones, I'll give her that. But still no qualities that would be any help to me in the Arena, unless she could get someone to laugh themselves to death.

Tails seemed to be enjoying her humor the most. He was laughing so hard he caught hiccups. This only made the other Tributes laugh harder. It brought a smile to my lips.

"How can she laugh at a time like this?" A heavy, Arabian accented voice asked behind me. "Does she even know what she is getting herself into?"

I turned to see another girl, this one dressed in a completely different fashion. She had purple hair set in a loop, with a jade ring connected to the bottom of a braid. She wore silks and bracelets that jingled every time she moved. She had darker skin and angry, deep brown eyes.

"We don't know what we're getting ourselves into." I said. "Everyone's nightmares are different. We will all see the Arena in a different way."

She shook her head. "Still, she is showing the others she does not care. They will know she will be easy to pick off in the bloodbath. Whereas you and me…they know nothing about us."

"I'm not forming any alliances at the moment." I said.

"Ah. It is a shame. We would make quite a team." The girl turned to leave.

"I'll consider it."

"Consider it before we enter the Arena."

She left to walk through the dining hall, leaving me to silently observe the rest of the Tributes by myself.

**XxXxXxXx**

The feast was excellent that night.

Never have I seen so much food on one table…all for only one meal! I could use this food to feed my Zone for months!

I only made it through two plates before I felt like I would throw up everything I had just eaten. It was all so good…!

As I stared around the table crowded with Tributes, I only counted twenty-three, including myself. Someone was missing. I just didn't know who.

I decided not to think about it very long. The neon yellow cat who had conducted the Reaping had entered the room, note cards in hand. Time for a speech.

I tuned most of it out. It was mostly about how lucky we were to be chosen for these Games and how we should be very grateful to the Capitol for all it has done for us. I wanted to stand and punch her in the face. What had the Capitol done for us? Nothing. Those power-hungry idiots were robbing us of everything. Including our lives.

I felt a tap on my right shoulder and looked over. Tails was sitting next to me, on a pile of books. The kid was so short, he couldn't see over the table without them. He pointed to my plate, which held the remains of a pile of pasta and bread roll. "Are you gonna eat that, Mr. Sonic?"

"No. You can have it." I slid my plate over to him.

"Thank you!" He said before digging in.

I heard a snicker from across the table. I chose to ignore it.

_Live it up, kid_. I thought. _Because very soon, you won't get the chance to_.

**XxXxXxXx**

**ROUGE'S POV**

**XxXxXxXx**

My, my, my…so many promising Tributes to choose from.

I had a hard time deciding who I should establish an alliance with. There was so much potential within this group…I could have anyone I wanted.

There was one who really caught my eye. He was from Zone 9, along with a pretty young human girl. His name was Shadow, hers, Maria. Shadow was a hedgehog that was about my height. He was jet-black and had red striped quills that turned upward at the ends slightly. He had a patch of white on his chest and he wore fancy shoes that looked extremely bulky and hard to walk in and white gloves. And his eyes were dark red, like ruby.

Maybe that's what I found so…interesting about him. His ruby eyes. I was a treasure hunter, after all.

Unfortunately, wherever he went, Maria went. The two were never out of each other's sight. I found out a bit later, as I was watching the recordings of this year's Reaping, that they had been friends for years. Maria had volunteered for a young rabbit named Cream. She also had some sort of incurable disease.

Perhaps she just wanted to go out in a blaze of glory. She didn't have long to live, by what I heard.

But perhaps she would make an excellent ally as well. She appeared friendly, but her blue eyes were determined and ready for the Games ahead.

"Excited for the Games?" I asked, sitting beside Shadow along one of the train car's windows.

"Hardly," he muttered.

"Oh, come now…you'll never win with that attitude." I smirked.

He cast me a glare and went to watching the trees pass by at lightning speed.

"What do you think the Arena is like this year?" I continued. "I'm hoping for some tropics. Somewhere with lots of cover to hide and plan."

He still didn't respond. I inched myself closer so we were practically shoulder to shoulder, and said. "So…who should we take out first?"

Shadow stood without saying a word and exited the car, Maria following. I was left alone. I smiled to myself. This would be more interesting that I thought.

I sighed and thought about who I should talk to next. There was still a fair number of Tributes left to be interviewed…maybe I could establish an alliance with more than two. I would have better odds.

I laughed out loud, taking myself by surprise. _May the odds be ever in your favour_. Yeah, right. The Games were rigged. The more sponsors you had, the better chance of survival. I intend to be the victor this year. And no one is getting in my way.

**XxXxXxXx**

**ANTOINE'S POV**

**XxXxXxXx**

The train's living quarters were really quite dark.

Even with all the lights turned on, it was still very shady.

"I am not liking zis one bit." I muttered to myself.

I decided against camping out in my quarters all night and headed back to the main train car. Tributes were still hanging around, a few talking and even laughing. I decided to take a closer look at my opponents.

There was the girl from Zone 10…I think her name was Elise. She was telling more stories to the few gathered around her, one of which was Tails. The little fox was laughing and listening intensely.

"Pathetic. She's going to be the first to go. She's too nice." A female voice sounded behind me.

Sitting off to the side of the door was the pair from Zone 8. The male Tribute was a green hedgehog with red sunglasses and a ripped leather jacket. He had three scars across his chest and he seemed joined at the hip to his companion; a reddish brown fox wearing a black jumpsuit. Even though I could tell I already didn't like them one bit, I said, "_Bonjour, salutations_. I am Antoine D'Coolette from ze Zone 7. And who might you be?"

The male Tribute put his arm around his partner and said, "Antoine? Yeah, I've heard of you. I heard you'll be the first one to die at the Cornucopia."

"Your names, _s'il vous plaît_?" the bravery I had built up was beginning to crumble down. Why did I bother in the first place? My dark living space was beginning to sound very inviting.

"You are determined, I'll give you that." The girl smirked. "I'm Fiona."

"Call me Scourge," the green hedgehog grinned, showing pointed teeth. "And if you know what's good for you, you'd get out of here. It'd be a shame if you didn't even make it to the bloodbath."

"I will not perish at ze bloodbath!" I declared boldly. "You do not know me. You do not know what skills I possess!"

"I'll wipe the floor with your headless body." Scourge growled. "It doesn't matter what skills you have. I'll rip right through 'em. You can't stop me. No one can."

Fiona wrapped her arms around him. "You better stop, babe, before he gets angry. He might start crying." She cast me another smirk.

I felt my face growing red. I opened my mouth to fire something back at her, but another voice interrupted me. "Is there a problem here?"

I turned to see the tall, dark lynx from Zone 3. She was wearing a purple dress without shoes. Her dark hair curled around her face. Her ears twitched in annoyance.

"Nah. Nothin'." Scourge grunted.

"Good." She cast me a look and the expression previously on her face vanished. "I'm Nicole. Why don't you come over here and be in some welcome company?"

"Ah, _oui_. Thank you." I said. "I'm Antoine."

I crossed to the back of the train car, where the small group of Tributes were still gathered around Elise.

"Hi, Antoine!" Tails beamed. "You can sit by me!"

"_Merci_, Tails." I returned the smile. My anger was fading away.

"These are my friends!" Tails pointed to the group. "That's Elise, Nicole, Julie-Su, Sally and Silver!"

Julie-Su, a pinkish purple echidna with green boots, a split brown and green top and a yellow belt grinned. "Hi."

Sally, a light brown chipmunk with a blue vest, shook my hand. "A pleasure to meet you, Antoine."

"_Oui_. A pleasure." I echoed.

Silver was the only one who seemed reluctant to greet me in any way. He was the furthest from the group, sitting huddled in the corner with his knees drawn up to his chest. He was a pure white hedgehog with golden eyes and crazy quills that stuck up everywhere.

Elise gave me a wave. "I was just telling everyone a story my father told me when I was younger."

As I listened to her tale, I began picking up on some strange themes. The fairy-tale was different in some ways…it was much scarier than the ones I had grown up with. She described in detail every fight and how the heroes won them. She told of tales of survival and how to survive…

I suddenly realized what she was doing. She was giving us hints on how to win the Games. Anyone who didn't listen in for more than a few minutes would just assume she was just a storyteller. In truth, she was incredibly genius.

She finished her story. Everyone in the little group nodded, grinning, as though she really had just told a fairy-tale…but their eyes said that they understood.

"_Sacre bleu…_" I muttered.

Tails gave me a smile. "You understood that story, right? It was kind of scary!"

"Yes, I did…" I said.

"You can pass this story on to whoever you want, just be careful," Elise said, "we don't want this legend falling into the wrong hands."

I nodded. "_Oui_. I will tell Bunnie at once."

**XxXxXxXx**

** Did I spell Antonie's last name right? If not…someone tell me so I can fix it. **

** Remember to review!**

** Hasta la Vista, Readers!**

** Lordoftheghostking28**


	3. Chapter 3

**XxXxXxXx**

**CHAPTER 3**

**XxXxXxXx**

**SONIC'S POV**

**XxXxXxXx**

We still had a full day of traveling before we would reach the Capitol. And as far as I could tell, everyone was already sick of one another. The Tributes from Zone 8 were particularly violent…as far as I know, they started almost all the fights.

I had just escaped a nasty brawl involving the Tribute from Zone 6, a green crocodile named Vector, and a purple cat named Blaze from Zone 5. It took all of the Peacekeepers onboard the train to break them up without delaying us due to damages.

While they were distracted, I slipped into a train car that was left slightly opened. Up until now, this room had always been locked.

I could see why.

A 3D layout of the Arena was displayed in the middle of the table. It looked as though the Peacekeepers had been ripped from a meeting to deal with the fight. I quickly turned the diagram, trying to soak in as much information as I could.

The Arena was shaped like a five-point star. Each point of the star was highlighted in a light blue pulsating light. I didn't know what that meant, but I could guess it was trouble. Red dots marked the stands we would be standing on until the timer counted down and we made a mad rush for the Cornucopia. The Cornucopia itself was plain and simple, looking to be made of slabs of metal. A small river ran through the center of the Arena, in an almost perfect line. Trees were everywhere. The only opening was the middle of the star and one on the uppermost point.

A clank in the hall jerked me from my thoughts and I quickly exited the train car after spinning the diagram back to its normal position. Peacekeepers filed past me back into the room, not casting me a second glance.

New information in mind, I set off. I had to make a plan.

**XxXxXxXx**

"Something on your mind, Blue?"

I glanced up from the notebook I was scrawling in to see the female Tribute from Zone 11. She was a white bat with dark wings. She wore a black jumpsuit with a pink, heart-shaped breastplate and purple eye shadow. She gave me a wink. "I'm Rouge."

"I'm Sonic." I said plainly.

"I already know who you are, handsome." Rouge said. "And that is a lovely drawing, by the way."

I flipped the notebook over. "What do you want?"

"I want someone to form an alliance with." Rouge leaned a bit closer. "And you seem perfect. You have a skill, don't you? You just don't want to show it."

"So what? Everyone else on this train has some sort of potential." I pointed to the door. "You're better off asking one of the Zone 5 or 6 Tributes."

"But I asked you specifically." She said. "So…what do you say? I'd make a challenging opponent. That's the last thing you want in these Games, isn't it?"

"I'm not forming any alliances." I muttered.

"Fine, have it your way." She stood and walked over to the door. "By the way, the uppermost part of the Arena consists of marshes."

I suppose the surprise showed on my face. Rouge just smiled and walked out of the car, not listening to my stammering of, "What?" "How do you know that?"

She must have been desperate to find an ally if she gave me information valuable as that. I quickly added a note to the top of my Arena sketch: 'Marsh?'

I suppose I wouldn't know until I got there. But this was a lead.

**XxXxXxXx**

Elise's storytelling group had grown by evening. Newly joined were the Tributes from Zone 7, listening intensely. I sighed and took a seat by the wall. Sooner or later they would be introduced to the idea of dying…I supposed they just wanted to delay it as much as they could.

A few Tributes I have never seen together in the same room were gathered at the far end of the car. It seemed as though a few of them already had an alliance going. Jet and Wave, both from Zone 4, had joined Storm from Zone 11. Vector from Zone 6 and Espio from Zone 3 were quietly discussing something in hushed voices. Even Rouge was hanging out with Shadow and Maria from Zone 9.

It seemed as though I was the only one without a set ally. I figured they would only weigh me down. After all, I was always sort of a loner, back before I was caught and dumped in Zone 1. Those were days I'd rather not think about again.

The story group had disbanded, Tributes going in pairs from the site. Tails cast me a look and smiled before bounding over and taking a seat next to me.

"Hi!" he grinned. "Wanna hear a story?"

"What kind?" I asked. I didn't have anything else to do.

"It's a story about the Games," Tails said, "and it's really scary."

"I don't really want to hear a story about the Games—"

"Once there was a Tribute from Zone 13," Tails began. "Back before it was destroyed, anyway. He was a strong fighter, and his main contribution to his winning was the fact that he was really fast."

I blinked. How did he…? I hadn't told anyone about my speed…maybe he just figured from my name that I had some sort of strength in running.

"He was so fast, that the Games labeled his ability as an advantage." Tails continued on. "So they strapped an inhibiter ring around his neck to lessen his power greatly before they threw him into the Arena. During the bloodbath, he was killed. The end."

The little fox ran off.

I was left in stunned silence. How could something so morbid come from someone so young's mind? I decided to push the story and my thoughts away. It was just a tale, after all. Nothing to be concerned about.

Then why did I feel like I was burdened by something heavy? Something about what Tails had said sparked fear in me.

"You're just letting it get to you," I muttered to myself. I stood and exited the car, heading back to my quarters. It was late. I was tired. A rest would do me good.

**XxXxXxXx**

**ROUGE'S POV**

**XxXxXxXx**

"Sonic knows what the Arena's like," I muttered. "I saw what he was drawing earlier. We're not the only ones who know."

Shadow cast a wary glare around the train car. I don't know why he bothered. The only ones within earshot were us and Maria. Silver, the Tribute from Zone 5, was sitting huddled in the far corner of the car half asleep.

"So he knows how to use the advantage of a fight." Shadow growled. "The quarrel draws all the attention. It leaves the most important places unguarded. He doesn't have to be a genius to figure it out."

"But he's preparing as we speak."

"So are we."

"I…I think it would be best if we joined forces with him." Maria spoke up.

"Four people are too many." I said. "Three is plenty."

Shadow cast another glance at the car doors before saying, "We should kill him first."

**XxXxXxXx**

The train arrived at the Capitol early next morning. All of us Tributes were lead into a group of rooms in the back to be sorted into our living spaces for the week before the Games. I was stationed on the sixth floor of a magnificent building along with the other female Tributes. The guys took the floor above.

"This is lovely." I sighed as I sprawled out on my new, feathery bed. The room itself was huge; complete with a mini kitchen and living room. A bathroom was tucked into the far corner, containing a tub big enough to house my home back in Zone 11.

I found clothes waiting for me in the closet and changed into something a bit more comfortable. Now dressed in dark green pants and a dark blue top, I headed back downstairs. The introduction ceremony begins in seven hours…I might as well get ready.

**XxXxXxXx**

**ANTOINE'S POV**

**XxXxXxXx**

This room was much too big for one person. I could fit all my family and friends in the hotel room. It felt empty…it was so big.

I sat on the edge of my bed and began worrying about that evening. There would be the President. And stylists. And people I didn't know.

"Ah! I can't do zis!" I cried. "I never wanted to be chosen for ze Games! I want to go back home!"

A light knock sounded at the door. I took a deep breath and smoothed my fur before clearing my throat and saying, "_Entrer._"

The door clicked open and Bunnie stepped into my room. "Are you doin' ok, Antoine? Ya seemed a bit up tight on th' train…"

"_Je suis bien_. I am fine. Really. Just a bit nervous." I bit at my fingernails.

"I'm nervous too," she said, "an' they're already callin' Tributes down for the stylists. Why don't we go together? Maybe you'll find someone ya can talk to."

I nodded. "_Oui_. Lettuce go."

"Ya mean 'let us'?" Bunnie chuckled.

I nodded again. "_Oui, oui._ Lettuce. Zat is what I said."

She rolled her eyes but didn't say anything else.

Together we made our way down to the main floor. Most of the Tributes were already assembled and greeting their stylists. A rose-coloured cat dressed in a gown that I assumed was meant to resemble a flower walked toward us.

"Are you Antoine and Bunnie from Zone 7?" she asked.

"That's us." Bunnie said.

"It's a pleasure to meet you." She said in bored tones, shaking our hands. I couldn't help but notice the shocked expression she cast Bunnie's robotic arm and legs. "I'm Petal. I'm going to make you both look presentable for the opening ceremony tonight."

She pointed down the hall. My team is right down there. If you would accompany me…"

**XxXxXxXx**

I did not like Petal, but I did like her skills as a stylist.

Zone 7 was mainly devoted to training and raising Peacekeepers. Children were chosen at birth to represent the Capitol and were stolen away. It was a cruel thing…so many heartbroken mothers. The children were then given to mothers at the Capitol to raise. They, in turn, would become the next generation of Peacekeepers.

I was given a commander's jacket to wear, adorned with many awards and medals. The Peacekeeper uniforms were all bland and colourless, but this one was a navy blue with golden tassels on the shoulders. It fit perfectly. I was also given a pair of black pants that seemed to shimmer in the light from black to blue. My fur was tamed with some sort of gel, making it stiff and hard to mess up again. Some type of eyeliner was applied around my eyes, giving me a fiercer look. I barely recognized myself in the mirror.

"You look dashing." Petal droned. "The President will like it."

I practiced a salute. After a few attempts, it almost looked natural.

Bunnie was also dressed similarly. Her jacket was almost identical and her black pants were long and flowing, almost like a dress. She didn't look pleased.

"I hate this. Why do I have to wear this? I'd rather wear the clothes I used to wear back at Zone 7…" she cast me a look. "But on you, that almost looks natural."

I saluted, grinning.

"Ok, ok…Showtime in ten minutes!" Petal clapped loudly. "Let's get these guys ready!"

We were herded from the dressing rooms to a chariot. The strong, black horse in front of it reared, nearly slamming its hooves down on my head. I jumped away from it, earning a shout from Petal to not mess up my uniform. I scurried into the chariot, Bunnie beside me.

"Well…here we go." She muttered. "I never thought I'd be here, of all places."

"My name was entered into ze Reaping ball seventeen times." I sighed.

"Seventeen?!" Bunnie gasped. "Why?"

"For food." I said. "My family was _affamé_, starving. I had no choice."

Bunnie was about to say something more when the horse started walking, taking us by surprise. I held onto the side of the chariot, glad I hadn't fallen. The crowd was cheering outside the room we were in. I suddenly felt extremely nervous.

The gates in front of us opened and I squinted in the sudden light. We were in some sort of stadium; thousands of people packed into the stands. I glanced left and right at the Tributes from Zones 6 and 8 who had emerged from rooms next to ours. Zone 8 was about weapons. Zone 6 was agriculture. They were both portrayed accurately.

"And there they are! This year's Tributes!" an announcer shouted over speakers hidden above us. His voice was so loud; I thought he was standing right beside us. "Aren't they amazing, folks? This is sure to be a grand year for the Games! The stylists really outdid themselves!"

"Salute," Bunnie hissed to me.

"_Quoi_?"

"Salute!"

I did as she said as another roar of applause washed over the people.

"The pair from Zone 7 truly are in the spirit!" the announcer laughed. I wanted to cringe.

We were brought to the middle of a giant, circular room. In front of us was a balcony, red and black flags and banners portraying our President. The chariots marched in a circle and then stopped. We all stared toward the balcony. I wanted to spit at the man that stood before us.

"Welcome, everyone, to the 174th annual Hunger Games!" he announced cheerfully, dramatically gesturing to us. The entire place went up in roars and cheers.

President Robotnik had been in office for five years. No one really knew how old he was. He was a fat man from gorging himself on too much of the good life. He was completely bald save for an outrageous orangey brown mustache under his red nose. Small, black spectacles hid his eyes from the light. He was wearing his typical red suit and black pants.

"This year in particular will be especially exciting," he continued as soon as the crowd died down. "The Arena, as you will see, will be completely new and improved. The rules have changed!"

"Changed? What does he mean?" I muttered. My arm was starting to get tired from saluting.

Another roar erupted from the crowd. I felt like I was going to be sick.

That was all President Robotnik said on the matter of the Games. He went on to tell us how grateful we should be to the Capitol for letting us participate in the games and how we should make the most of our time here. His speech went on forever. My arm was numb by the time we finally exited the mini arena.

**XxXxXxXx**

**SONIC'S POV**

**XxXxXxXx**

I had never felt so angry in my life.

Once again, I was in the President's sight…

…and I couldn't kill him.

I could feel him smirking at me as we all filed back out of the large stadium-like place. It just fueled my rage.

Never have I wanted to kill someone more than at that moment.

"Sonic…?" Amy asked. "You look really angry."

I shook my head. "It's nothing."

She just nodded, not speaking another word.

Five years ago, the Zones had been one step away from being liberated. The only person who stopped us was the man currently basking in the spotlight, silently betting on who would win this year's Games.

There had been a group of freedom fighters living in the remains of Zone 13 for years. They had finally gained enough courage and troops to make a stand against the Capitol. I was one of the platoon leaders. My second-in-command was Robotnik.

It would have all gone according to plan had he not betrayed us; selling us all out to the Peacekeepers. We were captured and rounded up, separated among the Zones. I haven't seen any of my friends or family since that day.

My stylist was waiting to greet us. I ignored the commands she shot at me and instead headed for the doors. I wanted to be alone. Forever.

Imagine my surprise when I found a knock at my door later that evening. I reluctantly left the warmth of my bed and trudged to the door. "What do you want?"

It was Amy. She glanced down the hall, as though making sure no one was coming. "I…I was just making sure you…you were ok."

"I'm fine." I made a move to shut the door, but she stuck her foot in its path, halting it.

"Listen…" she took a breath. "I'm here to pass on a message."

"From who?" I sighed.

"The little Tribute from Zone 2...Tails."

Neither of us spoke for a few moments.

I ran a hand through my quills and sighed again. "Right…what is it?"

"He said …don't worry about the key, he has the answer." Her face gave way to a puzzled expression. "I don't know what he means, but he literally begged me to pass this on."

I nodded. "Right. Do you have anything else to say?"

"No, that's it." She turned to leave. "Have a good night. Interviews are tomorrow."

"Good night." I muttered after her. I shut the door and climbed back into bed, ready to doze off.

_Don't worry about the key, he has the answer…_?

**XxXxXxXx**

By the time I got down to breakfast the next morning, the vast majority of it was already gone. I could thank the pair from Zone 4 for that.

I managed to fill my plate with the last of the pancakes and fruit before taking a seat on a huge window's ledge that overlooked a garden of some sort. Nearby, a few Tributes were laughing and seeming to have a good time.

Before long, I found myself joining in with their laughter. I needed a break. So much had been happening.

The moment of relaxation was over as quickly as it had come. We had to train and prepare for both the upcoming Games and the interviews later on. I followed a group of Peacekeepers to the training arena, many of the other Tributes following behind me.

The room was enormous. Various stations were set up along the walls, each manned by another Peacekeeper. A man was standing around buckets of paint dressed in a matching shirt and pants that resembled trees…I assumed he was camouflage. Another had various ropes hanging over an unlit fire. I guessed that was some sort of survival trainer.

Slowly, the Tributes made their way through the room, choosing a station to work at. I wondered further into the room, coming by various combat tutors.

I had to pick fast. Stations were filling up. I wondered over to a tall, older human man and asked in a low voice, "Can you teach me how to swim?"

**XxXxXxXx**

It turned out that the mini stations out front were just to give us a taste of what to expect in training. Once everyone had chosen a tutor, they lead us back into a massive room that resembled half of a small forest. The edge of a lake lapped at my shoes as I followed my trainer, staring around in awe. The other Tributes went to work and I tried to block out their voices.

"First things first," the man said, holding out his hand. "I'm CommanderAbrahamTower, Leader of Platoon 6 of Peacekeepers."

I didn't accept his handshake. "I'm Sonic." I said.

"Well, Sonic," he cast a glance around the forest/room. "I'm assuming swimming is your weak point."

"If it wasn't, I wouldn't be asking you for help." I muttered.

"If you don't mind me asking, what is your strong point?" he seemed to stare right through me.

"I'm…fast." I said.

"How fast?"

"Fast enough to run from one side of my Zone and back in under three seconds." I said proudly.

He nodded. "I'm going to let you in on a little secret," he said, drawing a bit closer to me. "This forest here? It's a replication of a location in the Arena. Look," he motioned at all the trees and vines surrounding the water. "Why worry about swimming when you could easily make your way over the surface of the water? Why not just run across it? I'd assume you go fast enough as to not break the surface tension."

I had never attempted to run over water before. Partly because I didn't want to fall in and drown, and partly because there simply wasn't enough in my Zone to practice on.

"If you ask me, you are fairly well-rounded for the Games." CommanderTower said. "I would work on survival; making a fire and catching something to eat."

I figured he was right…after all, I only planned on hanging around water when I was thirsty. I gave him a small smile. "Thanks."

"At ease, soldier." He returned the grin.

**XxXxXxXx**

During the rest of the training session, I learned I was good at tying strong knots. I was very stealthy and could easily use my abilities to track down and kill the other Tributes. That thought made my stomach turn.

I figured I wasn't anything spectacular, but I had enough potential to win me some decent sponsors.

The training was called to a halt for the day and we all made our way back upstairs to prepare for the Interviews. The last person I wanted to see was my stylist.

"Really. Are you sure you don't want to dye your quills purple?" she asked.

"Yes," I growled. "Just get on with it, Sonia."

Sonia rolled her eyes and flipped a mop of light lilac hair from her eyes and heaved a sigh. "Fine. Now, for these interviews, I was thinking of giving you both something…different." She made a rectangle with her thumbs and index fingers, fitting both me and Amy into the frame. "Something different, but classy."

"What, exactly?" Amy asked.

"For you, I was thinking a red dress. Like a rose." Sonia nodded. "Yes…a rose. You'd look magnificent."

Amy nodded. "That sounds good…Yeah."

"And for you," Sonia turned back to me. "You seem more of the professional type." She considered it a bit more. "Do you have any suggestions?"

"Something president-y." I said. "I have a performance I'd like to present to the audience tonight at the Interviews."

She gave me a quizzical look. "You mean like…dressing like President Robotnik?"

"Yeah. Can you tailor something?"

"I can." She looked offended. "Just don't do anything stupid. I could lose my job…or worse."

**XxXxXxXx**

**ROUGE'S POV**

**XxXxXxXx**

My stylist didn't exactly go overboard with the fancy costumes. He decided to just play it simple and offer me back my black bodysuit and heart-shaped breastplate. I noticed some simple changes in the design; the fabric was slightly shinier, my wings had more freedom of movement, and it was slightly warmer than before. I was more than happy with it. I was not looking forward to uncomfortable dresses.

Storm was given a dark suit and tie. I thought he looked tacky and stupid, but I kept my thoughts to myself.

Before long, I found myself on the stage, surrounded by the other Tributes. A cheering crowd was sitting in front of us, hiding in the darkness. I squinted in the blinding lights shining down on the stage.

A spokesperson stepped from the side of the stage, making a dramatic entrance. His dazzling white smile hurt almost as much as the lights. He was a human male with dyed purple hair and eyebrows, dressed in a blue suit.

"Ladies and gentlemen, the Tributes of the 174th annual Hunger Games!" he motioned to us.

The crowd erupted in cheers. Glancing left and right, I found none of the other Tributes laughing or even smiling. I decided to break away from the vast majority of them and offer a grin to the crowd.

"This is sure to be an exciting year!" Our interviewer said. I remember reading his name somewhere…I thought it was Caesar? "New challenges! A new Arena! New Tributes!"

More cheers. My face hurt from smiling.

Caesar went on for a little longer about how exciting the games were going to be blah, blah, blah. I tuned most of what he said out and focused on watching the Tributes around me. They all seemed nervous. Especially the pair from Zone 5, Blaze and Silver. They were fidgeting and staring at the ground, as though frightened to look directly at Caesar's smile.

"Let's begin the interviews!" Caesar turned back to us. "And to shake things up a bit, let's start with Zone 12! Ladies first!"

Julie-Su looked a bit startled, but she quickly recovered from the shock and answered the questions thrown at her without much hesitation. She was pretty sharp…if she told a lie, I couldn't tell. The same could be said for Knuckles, her partner. They were really the only ones excited about the interviews, as far as I could tell.

"Zone 11!" Caesar announced merrily. "Rouge, is it? Are you confident about the Games?"

I nodded, flexing my wings as I did so. "I can't wait."

"Is that so? I've heard you have some pretty promising sponsors out there, waiting for the Games to begin!"

That was a bit of a shock to me. Already? Sponsors? I didn't let my surprise show. "Yeah," I said.

"It's going to be tricky this year to snag someone wealthy to support you." Caesar went on. "But you seem to be well off already. Are you nervous, at all?"

I scoffed. "Of course not."

The crowd cheered as I finished the Interview. As the others were questioned, I let my mind wonder. Less sponsors, huh? I could count on one, maybe two parachutes bearing gifts in the Arena. I would have to make the most of them. This boosted my chances of forming permanent alliances as well…Tributes more likely to win over sponsors had a higher success rate.

Everything seemed to be going as planned until they got to Sonic from Zone 1. I should have seen it coming; the way he was dressed like our president was obviously in a mocking way.

"I see you honour our president tonight!" Caesar said. "Why is that, instead of something fancier?" he motioned to the rest of the Tributes.

He shrugged, and, in a voice so familiar it made me do a double take, said, "I just wanted to…add to the festivities."

The crowd cheered at his mimicking performance. I couldn't help but think that President Robotnik was furious. Good.

"So…uh, Sonic…" Caesar chuckled. "What are you contributing to these games? Do you have a special ability?"

"Yeah. It's called staying alive." Sonic continued in Robotnik's voice. Somehow, he didn't burst out in laughter, like the rest of the crowd and Caesar himself.

"Oh, brilliant! I'm sure everyone cannot wait to see you in action!" Caesar grinned.

He asked a few more questions, in which Sonic would respond in even more sarcastic, mimicking tones. The crowd was roaring with laughter, and a few Tributes as well were grinning, Tails especially. When it came time to go, Sonic performed one of Robotnik's signature moves; a low, dramatic bow.

I couldn't wait for the Games.

**XxXxXxXx**

**Yeah, actual game stuff coming up soon.**

**Remember to Review!**

**Hasta la Vista, Readers!**

**Lordoftheghostking28**


	4. Chapter 4

**XxXxXxXx**

**CHAPTER 4**

**XxXxXxXx**

**ANTOINE'S POV**

**XxXxXxXx**

The assessment day was the following night. Bunnie and I were waiting for our individual assessments along with Zones 8 on up, trying to kill time by guessing the other Tributes' abilities.

"Have you any idea what Sally-girl's got in store for us?" Bunnie asked.

"No idea." I shrugged. "I haven't seen much of her around…maybe she is keeping it a _mystére_."

"Maybe she'll get a high score."

Before long, I found myself standing in front of the judges, facing a row of weapons. I gave a shaky salute. "I am Antoine D'Coolette from ze Zone 7."

The judges gave a small nod and marked something down on what I assumed to be a computer. I faced the weapons again and found what I was looking for. A saber.

Weapon in hand, I faced the rows of dummies on the other side of the room, some of which were already battle damaged. One of them had three knives in its heart. I executed a flawless parry-and-strike, stabbing the dummy in the center of the head. I slashed without warning or indication, slashing multiple gashes in the cloth. I finished it off with a clean slice at its throat, beheading it. I gave a short bow, deposited my sword back on the weapons rack, and left. I was too worried to look back.

"I think I did well." I muttered to myself.

Only one way to find out.

**XxXxXxXx**

The 24 Tributes were all gathered in a banquet hall, a wide spread of food set out for each of us. Two large television screens were set into the far corner, taking up two walls. Any second now, and it would reveal the scores we earned in the assessment.

I was picking at my food. Only seconds ago I had been starving, but nervousness had driven the hunger out of me. I stared anxiously at the screens, waiting.

"You gotta eat something' Sugar," Bunnie poked me in the ribs. "There won't be much food in th' Arena."

"I am fine," I muttered. "I'm just _nerveux_. Nervous."

A loud burst of trumpet fanfare made me jump. My gaze darted back to the screens, where animated ribbons were trailing down a blue background. Caesar appeared, his blinding grin seeming to be forced.

"Hello, and welcome!" He said. "The scores are in!"

The Tributes all sat at attention, not one of them saying a word. Caesar skipped right to the point and began displaying names, pictures and scores. Starting at Zone 1.

'_**Zone 1:**_

_Sonic—10 _

_Amy—7 _

_**Zone 2: **_

_Tails—3 _

_Sally—9_

_**Zone 3: **_

_Espio—10 _

_Nicole—9 _

_**Zone 4: **_

_Jet—9 _

_Wave—9 _

_**Zone 5:**_

_Blaze—11 _

_Silver—11 _

_**Zone 6:**_

_Vector—8 _

_Shahra—9 _

_**Zone 7:**_

_Antoine—11 _

_Bunnie—11 _

_**Zone 8: **_

_Fiona—9 _

_Scourge—12 _

_**Zone 9: **_

_Shadow—12 _

_Maria—8 _

_**Zone 10: **_

_Elise—4 _

_Mephiles—12 _

_**Zone 11: **_

_Storm—9 _

_Rouge—10 _

_**Zone 12:**_

_Knuckles—10 _

_Julie-Su—10_'

I heaved a sigh of relief. I had an 11. I was pretty well off. Caesar went on to say something about the scores being very high this year, but I couldn't hear much of what he said due to all the cheering. Despite having a very low score, Tails was practically dancing in his seat. I grinned to myself, suddenly feeling extremely giddy. I had a chance. Maybe I could win this.

The only person I saw who seemed disappointed by their score was Elise. She had gone completely pale, as though her score had been a death sentence. Perhaps it was.

"Did you see that, Antoine? We've got some of the highest scores!" Bunnie bear-hugged me.

"Ah…! I cannot breathe!" I gasped.

She released me shortly after. "I'm sorry, Sugar! I'm just so excited!"

I couldn't help but think I didn't deserve my score.

**XxXxXxXx**

**SONIC'S POV**

**XxXxXxXx**

My alarm went off the next morning, alerting me from a sleep I never got. I sat up, more tired than I had been the previous night, and headed out of my room for the last time. The Games began today.

Sonia, my stylist, gave me a pitying look. "Let's…get you ready for today." She said softly. She didn't speak a word after that.

The Tributes this year were given a jumpsuit that glimmered different colours in different lighting. I caught traces of purple, green, blue, and red. I assumed it would help us blend in more with the surroundings, but I figured it would help me anyway. It's kind of hard to miss bright blue among the dull green.

I was ready. Amy stood next to me as Sonia gave the final ok. We were lead to a helicopter, where we would be transported to the Arena. I ignored the other Tributes and focused on what I would do once I was in the Arena. Probably run up to the cornucopia, steal what I can, and get out of there as fast as I could.

They injected a tracker into my arm, but the pain barely registered. I was too tense to let it distract me.

We touched down inside this large, metal complex. We were herded out and separated by Zones to the platforms that would lead us up to the Arena. I gave Amy a glance, surprised to find her as serious as I was.

"Good luck." Sonia said, coming up behind us. "You're going to need it."

I nodded. "Thanks. For everything."

Two Peacekeepers walked up on either side of her, their hands behind their backs. She sighed, a tear forming in her eye, and turned her back. "Don't hurt them…"

The Peacekeepers lunged at Amy and me. I tried to dodge, but they were fast…faster than anyone I had ever encountered before. Something cold and metal was fastened around my neck, and the Peacekeeper backed off. I tugged at the cold, metal device, panic settling over me.

"_Once, there was a Tribute from Zone 13, back before it was destroyed, anyway. He was a strong fighter, and his main contribution to his winning was the fact that he was really fast. He was so fast, that the Games labeled his ability as an advantage. So they strapped an inhibiter ring around his neck to lessen his power greatly before they threw him into the Arena. During the bloodbath, he was killed._"

Tails' story…had he somehow known?!

I didn't get a chance to say anything before the Peacekeepers pushed us back into the glass elevator to lead us to the surface. Sonia didn't glance back.

Bright, burning sunlight washed over me and I had to stop tugging at the inhibitor around my neck to shield my eyes. As I glanced around, many of the other Tributes also sported similar collars, the vast majority of them rather displeased with this sudden twist to the Games. The only one who seemed fine with this new addition was Mephiles, a hedgehog that looked a lot like Shadow, from Zone 10. He was simply staring straight ahead toward the Cornucopia, fixated on it.

"_Ah ha ha_!" A voice rang from the Cornucopia itself. I knew that voice…it was President Robotnik. "_As you have observed, there is a new rule to this year's Games. Many of you are powerful…almost too powerful for a good, long Game._"

I grit my teeth. That bastard…

"_Your inhibitor collars are indestructible. There is only one way to be rid of them without dying, of course. There is a key in the Cornucopia, waaay in the back. It can only be used four times before it breaks._"

A lot of the Tributes were listening intensely now. I caught Tails' gaze and he shook his head slowly. I noticed he didn't have an inhibitor….What was that message Amy was asked to deliver to me…? Don't worry about the key…? But how could I not? My speed was the only thing I could truly count on in the Arena!

"_Let the Games begin!_" Robotnik announced merrily. A countdown began at the top of the Cornucopia, slowly ticking down from 60.

I tried to see what was hidden inside the metal fixture, but the glare from the sun prevented me from seeing the vast array of weapons. The only thing I could see was a raised pedestal…I assumed the key was there…

30. I glanced around at the other Tributes, many of whom looked ready to join in the bloodshed. Scourge especially.

20. I stretched my leg muscles and hoped for the best. Maybe without my incredible speed, I could still get some serious distance.

10. I really hoped no one stepped off early…the mines would blow anyone who did to smithereens.

5

4

3

2

1

The cannon rang out as a starting bell. I darted from the platform, feeling incredibly slow. But I was still ahead of the others…if only by a little.

I grabbed a bright orange pack and a small dagger, ducking as Scourge raced up behind me with a spear. I slashed the dagger through the spear's wooden hilt, slicing it in half. I grabbed another knife and made to run for the pedestal, but it was already claimed by Rouge, the bat from Zone 11.

A loud scream echoed around the clearing and an incredibly loud cannon shot rang out. One Tribute down. I didn't want to know who.

I began to run for the woods, but someone grabbed my ankle, pulling me to the ground. I kicked out wildly, hitting Fiona in the face and sending a stream of blood down her uniform. She pulled a dagger from her belt and wound up to dig it into my ankle.

A blur of yellow slammed down on her arm, making her let me go with a scream. Tails jumped back into the air, twin tails rotating at helicopter speeds, and grabbed my arm, transporting me over the bloodbath and into the trees. Another cannon rang out...

"Thanks…" I muttered. "I didn't know you could fly…"

"That was my plan." Tails said. He suddenly sounded older…as though the happy, cheery kid attitude had all been a ploy. "I knew about the inhibitor rings as well. I decided to play dumb…not show them my true abilities…and sure enough, I wasn't tagged with one."

We flew for a few seconds longer before he deposited me on a riverbank. "I think this water is fresh…we should stock up."

I pulled the pack from my shoulders and ruffled through it, securing one knife to the front zipper as I did so. I found a thin sleeping bag, an empty canteen, and a small package of dried beef. I tasted the water in the river for salt or any strange chemicals before filling the canteen.

"I'm glad you got something at the Cornucopia. I don't think I have enough resources to share." Tails pointed to a hollow tree a few feet away. "I stashed some meat and a pocket knife in there, but we can probably put it in your pack."

"Tails…" I sighed. "You shouldn't follow me around."

"Why not? I think you, me and Sally would make a great team!" The little kit protested. "We'd have more of a chance!"

"Sally too?" I sighed. "You're better off with just her. Don't hang around me if you want to live. Here…" I unfastened the knife from my pack and handed it to him. "Use this if you have to. I doubt a pocket knife will keep you safe for very long."

"But why? I just saved your life! You owe me something! So stay with us!"

"I'll put you in danger!" I yelled. "You two are the last people I want to hurt!"

Tails' big blue eyes widened slightly. "Why?" he squeaked. "I just want to know why?!"

"Robotnik will throw everything he's got at me." I said as I slung the pack back over my shoulder. "I was a member of the Freedom Fighters, back before we were all caught. He'll take special care to dispose of me as soon and as painfully as possible."

"He can't kill what he can't catch!" Tails blurted. "I can get rid of the inhibitor ring without a key!"

"Tempting offer, kid, but I'll have to decline." I picked a random direction and began walking. "Stick with Sally and keep her safe."

I felt terrible for doing what I did, but I had no choice. I couldn't let the youngest Tribute get murdered for helping me. I hoped that knife I gave him would never be used…

**XxXxXxXx**

**ROUGE'S POV**

**XxXxXxXx**

This was going as planned! Not only had Shadow and I been freed from the stupid inhibitor rings, but we had gained a brilliant advantage! The Cornucopia was ours!

"What do we do now?" Maria asked as we searched through the goods, taking anything of value and throwing the rest into the river.

"We wait." I said. "Until we're the final ones."

All three of us had a pack stuffed with the most useful stuff. Shadow had the key to the rings that could only be used two more times along with a variety of helpful knickknacks. I had all the food, and Maria had the only long range weapon in the entire Cornucopia, a bow and a quiver of arrows.

The Cornucopia was great. Shelter on all sides except one, meaning only one way in and out. The material it was made of reflected heat, making the inside comfortably cool. The river was within eyesight. We were basically living the equivalent to the good life in the Arena.

"Bread, anyone?" I asked, opening the pack. "We should celebrate taking the most important structure in the whole Game."

"Don't waste the food." Shadow snapped. "We don't know how long the Games will last, and even if we'll still own the Cornucopia for the whole Game."

"Spoilsport." I muttered, slumping down on a sleeping bag. "What kind of camping gear is this? It's as thin as paper."

"It's made to reflect heat." Maria said. "It's not for comfort."

"Ugh, petition to gather leaves and anything soft, anyone?" I asked.

"Fine. Just don't get killed. And leave the pack here." Shadow said.

I dropped the pack off at his feet and gave a mock bow, snatching up a rapier as I went. "As you wish, your highness." I got a running start and flew off toward the trees.

I hovered over the tops, slicing off leafy branches I could pick clean of leaves later. We could burn the sticks for warmth as well. Maybe I should go hunting later as well…pick up some fresh meat we can eat without guilt.

A muffled voice caught my attention. I hovered silently, trying to pinpoint the sound. I eventually spotted a patch of white and bright green among the trees, inches from my face. It blinked.

I was almost too late. I jerked backward at the last second as a blade slashed inches from my left wing. Nicole, the lynx from Zone 3, pushed herself out of the tree branches and swiped at me again with a long, curved cutlass. A shout down below made me look down at a patch of bright yellow. The fox kit, Tails…

I gave a short wave and darted downward, snatching up the kit by his two tails. He gave a piercing shriek and tried to kick me, but I ignored the sting his shoes left in my wrists. Nicole was shouting, and another voice joined hers down below…

"Special delivery," I grinned, dropping the kit at Shadow's feet. "I've decided I'd let you do the honors."

Tails curled into a fluffy, yellow ball, shaking and crying. Shadow gave me a pointed glare before kneeling next to the fox and saying, "You have one chance to prove yourself useful before I make you the third Tribute lost to these Games."

"No! No! Don't kill me!" he wailed.

"He's no good to us, Shadow. We might as well put him out of his misery." I said.

Tails began a half-hearted effort to the Cornucopia's entrance, which I quickly stopped by driving the heel of my shoe into his back.

"Stop it…" Maria said softly. "Either kill him or don't. Don't make him suffer…"

"All right, fine." I raised my weapon and held it above the kit's head. "See you on the other side, buddy."

I plunged my blade down. Tails jerked his entire body to the side, the blade missing his head by inches and instead snagging some fur. He rolled out from under my foot and sprang up, his twin tails spinning in a swishing sound. He rose into the air and dodged the blade I threw at him before darting back outside the Cornucopia.

"Oh, no you don't!" I snatched up my weapon and darted after him, ignoring Maria's shouts to just leave him.

I was faster, catching up to him in no time. He turned around and aimed a kick at my head, missing as I swooped under him and stabbed at his back. He rolled, the blade missing anything vital but ripping a bloody gash across his shoulders.

"Agh!" The kit screamed, dipping downward toward the forest. I darted after, rapier in hand, ready to end this once and for all.

Sally and Nicole were waiting for me, their own weapons, a sword and cutlass, at the ready.

I parried Sally's uncoordinated lunge and batted away Nicole's blade, all the while making sure I wouldn't back up into anything deadly. The trees were too dense to take flight in…I would have to fight my way into the open.

"Leave Tails alone!" Sally growled, ducking under my blade and delivering a surprisingly powerful kick to my knee. I stumbled forward, head grazing Nicole's weapon. I felt and saw blood trickle into my left eye. Time to end this.

With two convincing feigns, I managed to buy enough time to turn and run. I burst out of the forest and took flight, darting back toward the Cornucopia.

"What did you do?" Shadow demanded once he saw me.

"I got into a fight." I shrugged. "Nothing major."

"And yet, not one cannonshot."

"I'm still new to the whole, 'kill or be killed' scenario." I wiped blood away from my face. "I'm getting there, though."

**XxXxXxXx**

**ANTOINE'S POV**

**XxXxXxXx**

It was beginning to get dark. Surprisingly, only two Tributes died today. We would find out who as soon as the sky darkened completely.

Bunnie and I were taking shelter under a strangely shaped rock that was perfect for two. I had managed to obtain a saber from the Cornucopia at the cost of a gash across my arm. Bunnie had torn my sleeve off and used it to bind the wound. It still stung, but it would keep me from dying.

"We did pretty well for the first day." Bunnie said, handing me a bit of bread from the bag we managed to get as well.

"Except we couldn't get the key," I sighed.

I hadn't been given an inhibitor ring at the beginning of the Game. Bunnie, on the other hand, had to somehow work around it. It prevented her from using her robotic limbs to their full potential, limiting her to running and jumping. Combat was all but nonexistent for her right now.

"I'm sure another opportunity will present itself." She sighed. "Do ya want first watch, or should I take it?"

"I'll do it." I clutched the saber's hilt as I stared out over the Arena stained reddish orange from the sunset.

Eventually, the sky darkened enough for the announcements. The sky was lit much like a television…music blared throughout the entire Arena. Two pictures were displayed in the clouds.

Amy, the girl from Zone 1, and Elise, from Zone 10.

"Elise, that poor dear…" Bunnie gasped. "She helped us so much…"

I sighed and shivered slightly, feeling faint. Already someone we had grown close to was dead. I could have very easily been killed as well.

Ignoring the pain in my slashed limb, I took a silent watch over the darkened Arena.

**XxXxXxXx**

"Antoine! Antoine, get up!"

I was shaken awake by Bunnie. My eyes shot open and panic gripped me. "_Sacre bleu!_ What is it?"

"Someone's headed this way!"

I gripped my sword and held completely still, listening to the faint crunching of sticks and undergrowth. It was steadily growing nearer…

"Damn Tributes…could'a at least taken out a few others during the bloodbath…" a male voice muttered.

"At least the two useless ones were picked off by us, babe." A feminine one answered.

Bunnie sighed softly and muttered angrily to herself. "Oh, these two again…I'd like ta teach 'em a lesson…"

I instantly recognized them as well. The two Tributes from Zone 8… the ones who had started all the fights and personally insulted_ moi_. I felt anger boiling up inside me, but it was quickly replaced by fear. They were the ones responsible for Amy's and Elise's deaths.

"We need a plan." Scourge growled. His voice was coming directly above us. He was standing on top of our shelter. "Part of the plan has to be getting these fuckin' collars off."

"The key is guarded by those three at the Cornucopia." Fiona said. "We'd need help if we are to sabotage them."

"Trust the other Tributes? Are you out of your mind? I'd rather slice their throats!"

I suppose I must have paled. Bunnie put a hand on my shoulder, trying to calm me down. The opposite happened. I let out a squeak of surprise.

"…What was that?" Scourge's voice lowered. I heard what I assumed to be the sound of a blade being drawn from a sheathe.

"Sounded like a mouse," Fiona said, "but you can never be too sure."

"Not in the Games," Scourge agreed.

A moment of silence passed. Both Bunnie and I held our breath. I was fairly certain we hadn't made a sound.

Both of them jumped down in front of our shelter's entrance, weapons at the ready. Scourge was holding a broken spear in one hand, a bejeweled dagger in the other. The dagger was thrust under my chin, the blade cutting my neck and drawing a thin line of blood. Fiona held a trident about half her height, aimed at Bunnie's throat as well.

"Well, hello. Fancy meeting you here." Scourge grinned madly. "You know, I had money on you not making it past the bloodbath."

I couldn't reply. I was too scared.

"Out of the shelter." Fiona commanded. "Now."

We slowly exited the makeshift camp we had set up, our backs to a tree. Fiona kept watch over us while Scourge rummaged through our pack, finally deciding he liked what we had and threw it over his shoulder. He claimed my sword for his own as well and sheathed it at his side, where he had somehow gotten his hands on a weapons belt. I noticed he had another two swords as well.

"All right." Scourge's grin grew even wider. "Let's waste 'em."

Bunnie acted at that moment, swinging her leg up and over to knock Fiona's trident away from us. She pinned it to the ground, preventing the fox from retrieving it, and swung her other leg around to deliver a strong side kick to her head. Fiona was sent stumbling, clutching at her forehead and swearing loudly.

I retrieved the trident and stood, my gaze meeting the end of my own weapon. Scourge forced me back into the tree, a blade in each hand. I watched as Fiona and Bunnie began fighting.

"That was a stupid move on your girlfriend's part." Scourge hissed. "Because she just guaranteed your deaths."

He clumsily stabbed at me. I parried with the trident, trying to get used to its feel. I was used to single handed weapons. A trident was heavy and meant for two handed grips. I had to make it work or risk injury or death.

Scourge wildly slashed at me again, his uncoordinated movements leaving his torso wide open for attack. I couldn't move fast enough with the heavy trident to land a strong hit. I expertly blocked his attacks and landed a blow on his blade strong enough to knock him back. I saw fury and anger blaze up in his eyes.

He ran at me, sword aimed at my chest. I locked his blade between two of the trident's tines and twisted sharply, driving his sword out of his grasp and into a nearby tree. I circled him, weapon aimed at his neck, and retrieved the lighter, more professional blade as he drew his other sword.

"Now it gets _intéressant_." I said. Despite the fact I was scared to death, I felt confident. I was in my area of expertise. I could win this. I dropped the trident and dropped into a proper fencing stance.

Scourge gave a war cry, rage filling his face, and slashed violently at my head. I parried, the impact on my blade nearly knocking it from my grasp. I ducked as he executed a wild, uncoordinated, horizontal sweep, missing my ears by inches. I backed up and began a series of feints, which he immediately fell for. I lunged with a slashing motion, slicing through his uniform's chest and reopening an old scar.

"You fuckin' moron! I'll make you pay for that!" Scourge roared. He slashed again, wildly, without thinking. I parried everything except one, which left a small graze under my left eye. My eye watered, but I could still see well enough to strike again, ripping another gash across his chest.

Scourge stumbled back, the front of his uniform darkening with blood. He was furious, but smart enough to not provoke another attack. I pointed with my sword into the trees. "Go, _aller_. I will not kill you. I am not like you."

Scourge grabbed the fallen trident and shouted, "Fiona! Let's get the hell out of here!" He turned to me, growling, "We'll be back. And when we are, you'll regret this."

Fiona escaped the brawl she was engaged in with Bunnie and ran to his side, supporting him enough so they could disappear into the woods.

"That went rather well, didn't it?" Bunnie grinned. Despite having a large bruise forming on her arm and a few cuts around her face, she looked as though she didn't sustain much damage.

"_Oui_, yes. Very well." I wiped blood away from under my eye. "That'll teach them."

"From what I saw, he didn't stand a chance." Bunnie gathered up the dropped supplies. "Come on…we should keep moving."

We retrieved what they had dropped and began walking in the opposite direction that they had run. My arm was beginning to alert me to its pain once again as the adrenaline began to wear off.

"Let's see if we can find some water." Bunnie suggested. "I'm dyin' for a drink."

"_Oui_, yes." Now that she had mentioned it, I was too. We quickened our pace, hoping we were headed in the right direction toward the perfectly straight river.

**XxXxXxXx**

**Hey, did I spell Antoine's last name right? I thought I did, but if it isn't right, please tell me. **

**Anyway, remember to review!**

**Hasta la Vista, Readers!**

**Lordoftheghostking28**


	5. Chapter 5

**CHAPTER 5**

**XxXxXxXx**

**SONIC'S POV**

**XxXxXxXx**

I found myself facing the uppermost point of the star Arena. It indeed was filled with marshes…marshes that smelled of dead things. I didn't want to set foot on the spongy ground for fear of it breaking and a skeletal hand reaching up to drag me down.

"I have to say, what you did at the interviews was foolish."

I spun around, knife in my hand. No one was there. But the voice was directly behind me…

"Very foolish, I may add. But very brave." Behind me again…!

Still no one. I was beginning to think I was going insane.

"Where are you?" I shouted, turning in a complete circle.

"Up here."

I craned my neck to squint at the treetops, where sunlight was fighting to make its way through the leaves. A splotch of bright purple drew my attention, along with a less obvious lime green.

The chameleon from Zone 3 and the crocodile from Zone 6. If I remembered correctly, their names were Espio and Vector.

"What do you want?" I asked.

"Not the brightest of the bunch," Vector grinned, rows of pointed teeth glinting in the faint light.

"We're in the Hunger Games. What do you think we want." Espio jumped to another tree branch and flipped around it twice before spinning to the ground, landing perfectly on his feet. "We want to get out of here alive."

"Yeah, well, only one of you can." I said.

I watched from the corner of my eye as Vector tried to mimic what Espio had done with the branch. Instead of a graceful landing, he fell with a loud shout and landed heavily on his stomach. Espio cringed but didn't look back.

"I'm ok!" Vector announced.

"Let's just get this over with." Espio drew out three shuriken clutched between his knuckles from a small pouch at his waist. "I'll give you an honorary death. That much I owe to one of the former freedom fighters."

I blinked. "How…how did you know about that?"

"I was trained by the masters. I know how to collect information." Espio lowered his voice as if afraid of being overheard. "They were going to give you a slow death. I suggest you take my method of finishing you off."

"Espio!" Vector shouted. "We've got company!"

Both Espio and I turned to see a swarm of…something…coming directly at us. They were still too far off to make out…but the sound they made…

"Bees?" I suggested.

"Oh no," Espio drew out three more shuriken. "Tracker Jackers!"

The bees were now close enough to make out. They were huge…only a few inches shorter than me. They looked like giant wasps, except for their stinger. It was dripping with something I could only assume was a deadly poison. If we didn't move, we would be killed.

"Go!" Espio threw three of the stars, nailing and killing three of the many mutant wasps. I turned and ran as fast as I could go with an inhibitor ring, Vector behind me.

We weren't fast enough. The bees caught up with us. I felt a sharp sting on the back of my neck, the pain almost enough to send me falling forward. Instead, I let it fuel my panic, pushing me to run faster. Another sting.

"Sonic!"

I dared to look back. I was stupid. I found myself staring back into the beady, multiple eyes of a Tracker Jacker, its stinger at the ready. I dodged it, grabbing onto its wing in the process. With a sickening tearing feeling that ran along my arm, I pulled its wing out of its back. The mutant wasp crashed to the ground, writhing and attempting to fly with the wings on only one side of its body. I fought my way through the swarm of bees, finally locating Vector. He was beyond saving. I didn't look at his mutilated body for more than a few seconds before becoming sick to my stomach.

A cannon shot rang out.

I tried to fight through the Tracker Jackers again, but they had formed a panicked group around me, fighting to be the one to bring me death. I shut my eyes and ran forward, ignoring the stings as they dug into my shoulders, my stomach, my back…

The venom in their stingers was making me feel lightheaded. The droning buzz of their wings was the only thing I could hear. I stumbled forward a few more feet, blinded by the poison, until I fell.

Another cannon…

I thought for sure it was for me. I felt myself sinking into a river…the only river in the entire Arena. Adrenaline shot through my body, giving me a second wind to keep alive. I struggled to keep my head above the surface as the river pulled me away from my attackers. After a while, they vanished to be replaced by sunlight.

I inhaled a lungful of water and struggled to get a grip on the riverbank, but the current was too strong and the mud didn't offer any good holds. I went under, striking my head on a rock. The world turned upside down…I didn't feel as panicked as I should…

Something grabbed my foot and hauled me out of the river. I didn't have the strength to fight anymore.

**XxXxXxXx**

**ROUGE'S POV**

**XxXxXxXx**

All three of us jumped at the sudden cannon. I flew out of the Cornucopia to search the nearby area of immediate danger, happy to find none. I did see something big hovering over the northernmost point of the Arena, but I thought nothing of it.

"Was there anything?" Shadow asked.

"Nah. Nothing I could see. We're still safe." I sat back down at the entrance. "I wonder who kicked the bucket, though."

Another cannon shot.

"Jeez," I muttered.

"I wonder if there'll be more." Maria said, her voice shaking. "I hope they didn't suffer…"

I didn't have the heart to tell her they probably did. I scanned the treeline, searching for any immediate danger. None found, I retreated into the Cornucopia and leaned against the wall.

"This is getting boring." I sighed.

"Would you rather be out there, fighting for your life?" Shadow snapped.

"If it offers excitement, yes."

He cast me a scathing look, which I chose to ignore. I watched as the sun sunk below the tree line, plunging the Arena into darkness.

_BOOM._

Yet another cannon.

"It seems as though the bloodbath was held off until today." I remarked.

"Look…" Maria pointed to the forest, where a faint yellow and orange glow was emanating.

"Are they stupid? Lighting fires so everyone in the Arena can target them?" Shadow sighed. "They're literally begging to be killed."

"I'll do the honors." I grinned, holding up a short knife.

"No…the other Tributes will take care of them for us."

Our argument was cut short as the sky lit up with colour and music. Time to see who had died today.

The chameleon, Espio, from Zone 3…and the pair from Zone 6. Both Vector and Shahra.

"Huh. I wonder what killed them." I thought. "They don't seem like the kind to make careless mistakes."

"These Games are terrible." Maria whispered.

"You have first watch." Shadow tossed a spear at me. "Alert me to anything you find suspicious."

He and Maria retreated to the back of the Cornucopia, where the sleeping bags had been set out and padded down with leaves. I sat slightly inside the structure, spear and knife at the ready. I sat still and listened, prepared for anything.

It was a peaceful night. Crickets sounded in the grass and the moonlight could distract anyone from realizing they were in mortal danger. The fire in the woods was eventually extinguished…not a single cannon followed.

Five figures emerged from where the fire had gone out, heading straight for the Cornucopia.

"Shadow!" I shouted, on my feet in an instant.

He was at my side without hesitating, retrieving the spear from me and throwing it as hard as he could at the closest attacker. A shout of pain echoed through the night.

"Here!" Maria tossed me my rapier and retrieved the bow and arrows herself. I engaged the closest in battle, finally close enough to make out their face.

"Surrender the Cornucopia and we'll make short work of you!" the hawk from Zone 4…Jet. He was holding a metal baton and knocked my rapier away from his head.

The other attackers must have been Wave, his partner from Zone 4, and Storm from my Zone. Then…who were the other two?

I was distracted from my questions as a glint of metal slashed down ward, striking my left wing. Something snapped, and pain flared into my shoulder.

I nearly dropped my weapon as I backed up, trying to find some space to recover. My attacker held a trident, and a triumphant smirk on her face. It was Fiona from Zone 8.

She gave a battle cry and hefted the weapon to throw it. I dodged the clumsy throw, the trident striking the Cornucopia and creating a brief flash of sparks. Weapon in hand, I ignored the pain in my wing and slashed out at her, ripping through the stomach of her uniform. Next to me, I heard Maria release an arrow. A shout of pain followed shortly after.

I found myself fighting alongside Shadow, the two of us holding off all three of the birdbrains. Storm threw a heavy club at us, but we both dodged in the nick of time. I felt the cold metal graze my ears.

"Ah! Let go!"

I turned to watch as Scourge and Maria began a tug-of-war over the bow, Scourge gaining the upper hand. Shadow was at her side in an instant, wielding two daggers from our endless supply of weapons.

"Leave now and we won't kill you!" Wave screeched, parrying my blade with what I assumed to be a wrench. "We just want the Cornucopia!"

"Yeah, well, so do we!" I hissed, dodging under Jet's baton and stabbing wildly at whatever I could. I ended up grazing Storm, and a pang of regret shot through me. He was from my own Zone…and here we were, fighting.

I almost apologized. I was glad I didn't.

With one swing, he connected his fist with my shoulder, sending me flying back. I landed on my injured wing, giving a muffled shout of pain. They were running toward our weapon stash…if they got there, it was all over.

I didn't know what to do, so I threw my rapier. It helicopter through the air horizontally, its blade taking of the top of Jet's feathery mohawk and digging into Wave's shoulder. she screamed, dropping to her knees to assess the damage while making herself a smaller target. The hilt of the weapon was heavy, gravity pulling it downward. The blade ripped itself out of her arm, leaving a gaping, bloody wound.

"You'll pay for that!" Jet shouted. He ran at me, his baton back to deal a serious blow. I barely succeeded in ducking under it. The _CLANG_ it produced as it struck the wall was nearly deafening. I connected my foot with his stomach, knocking him backward into Wave. He scrambled up, both him and Storm quickly closing the gap between us. I grappled for any sort of weapon beside me, not taking my eyes off my oncoming attackers. I gripped the hilt of something light and threw it at Storm.

It was a small knife. I had thrown it perfectly. The blade sunk up to its hilt in his forehead.

Storm remained standing for a few more seconds. Jet stopped, stunned. I watched the light leave the albatross' eyes.

He fell back just as the cannon rang out.

"We have to retreat!" Jet shouted, running to Wave's side. "We can't take the Cornucopia in this condition!"

Wave was in hysterics, both over her wound and the death of her comrade. Jet helped support her, casting me nervous glances as he backed up with her. Without another word, they hobbled off a short distance, watching.

Scourge and Fiona were still fighting, Shadow holding them both off. Fiona's middle and ring finger on her left hand were missing, blood running down her arm. Maria retrieved a blade and helped him hold the two off, parrying and blocking the trident's uncoordinated lunges.

I joined the battle, stabbing out with my weapon at Scourge's head. He ducked and countered, taking a bit of my ear with him. I ignored the sting and fought on, my only goal to drive him back. I was succeeding.

Scourge ducked and rolled, popping up behind me. Who was driving who back now? His attacks seemed more powerful now that he was winning. Shadow and Maria were the only ones still inside the Cornucopia.

"Let's finish this, babe!" Fiona shouted. "The Cornucopia is ours!"

With a nasty grin, Scourge left me alone and darted back to the metal structure. I ran to stop him, but Shadow reached me first.

In a flash of red light, he appeared at my side, Maria clutching his hand. He grabbed my wing, the one I was beginning to believe was broken, and another flash of light teleported us away.

We were in the middle of a forest now, the Cornucopia nowhere in sight. Shadow dropped to one knee, panting hard.

"What was that?!" I shouted. "Why did we leave?! We were winning!"

"It was a hopeless battle!" Shadow snarled. "We couldn't keep fighting like that!"

Maria dropped to her knees next to him. Even in the dim light, I could tell that something was wrong. "Maria? You ok?"

Her face was pale. She looked as though she had seen a ghost. She reached behind her back with a trembling hand, but she never found what she was looking for. She pitched forward, gasping for breath.

A dagger was buried slightly to the right of her spine, blood staining her uniform a dark red.

A cannon rang out.

"_MARIA!_" Shadow shouted. "No! No! This can't be happening!" He dropped beside her, stroking her hair, muttering reassurances to her. Or himself…I couldn't tell.

Two more cannons followed shortly after.

I kept vigil for a while, watching over the forest while Shadow grieved. This had been a terrible night. We had lost everything.

**XxXxXxXx**

**ANTOINE'S POV**

**XxXxXxXx**

_Four_ cannons?!

What had happened for four cannons to go off in the middle of the night?

Bunnie must have heard them too. She sat up and stared around the otherwise quiet forest, as though searching for where they had come from. "I wonder who died…"

"Ze bloodbath that never happened." I said softly. "It's like it was delayed until tonight."

Bunnie cast a glance at the figure sleeping soundly next to a nearby tree, a look of worry on her face. "Poor sugar's not up yet. An' those nasty stings on his arms 'n' legs…He had to be attacked by Tracker Jackers."

I shuddered at the thought.

Earlier that day, we had found the river. After we had drank our fill, Bunnie pointed upstream and pointed out a limp form drifting down toward us. We had managed to save him…Sonic…but he needed medicine for the stings.

We were delaying his death.

I shuddered again, more violently this time. I pushed my thoughts away and said as bravely as I could, "Go back to sleep, Bunnie. It's still my watch."

"I dunno if I can sleep anymore after hearin' those there cannons."

She was right. I didn't know anyone who could after hearing the sound of death.

"What do we do?" I asked at last.

"What do ya mean?"

"How do we save Sonic? W-what if he'll just kill us?" I stuttered. "How do we save _ourselves?_"

"Calm down, sugar…I doubt he'll kill us for helpin' him." Bunnie lowered her voice to a low whisper. "Now get some rest. You need it."

"But…ze cannons…"

"Get some rest." Bunnie insisted.

**XxXxXxXx**

I didn't expect to sleep so soundly. By the time I opened my eyes again, sunlight was filtering through the trees. I sat up and looked around, happy to see that everything was as it had been before I nodded off.

The only difference was a high-pitched beeping.

"What is zat?!" I grabbed my sword and darted to my feet, trying to locate the source of the sound. Bunnie, who was leaning against a tree nearby, followed my gaze around the treetops.

"Look there! Looks like we got a sponsor!"

A small, silver parachute drifted down and landed in our makeshift camp, the beeping fading away. Bunnie quickly grabbed the little canister and twisted the top off, a piece of paper falling away. I retrieved it and read, " 'Use zis only when you most need it.'"

"It's some sort of disinfectant." Bunnie said, passing me the canister. "Probably keeps wounds from gettin' infected."

"So we can help Sonic, yes?" I said.

"I think that's what this was intended for." Bunnie dropped down beside the unconscious Zone 1 Tribute and began gently applying the gel from the parachute to the Tracker Jacker stings. "There's gonna be a lot left over…how's your arm? You hadn't complained about it at all."

"Ah, ze wound from ze bloodbath? It's fine." I pulled the bandages away slightly and glanced at the wound, trying not to pale at the sight of all the dried blood.

"You should put some of this on it anyway. And under yer eye where Scourge cut ya." Bunnie handed me the can. "Come on, we don't have all day."

I took some of the gel and smeared it under my eye, expecting it to hurt. It didn't, and instead numbed the area slightly. I put some over my wounded arm, discarding the bandage that had been previously covering it. "What's in Sonic's bag?" I asked.

"I went through it earlier…it was pretty mutilated from the Tracker Jackers, but he did have some food and a canteen." Bunnie said. "Just enough to give him a fightin' chance."

I nodded. "Ah. And we are moving from this spot soon, yes?"

"We have to…gotta keep movin' away from everyone."

I stashed the canister in my food pack and retrieved my sword again. Between the two of us, we managed to haul Sonic a good distance away from our previous camp before midday.

"I am _affamé_," I groaned as we settled into a large, hollow tree. "Can we look for some food?"

"If you're careful." Bunnie said. "Don't eat anything before you bring it back here, either. I know what is poisonous and what isn't."

"Oh, _bon_, good." I ventured out into the forest.

**XxXxXxXx**

**Sorry for all the deaths!**

**...Not.**

**More on the way, and remember to review!**

**Hasta la Vista, Readers!**

**Lordoftheghostking28**


	6. Chapter 6

**CHAPTER 6**

**XxXxXxXx**

**SONIC'S POV**

**XxXxXxXx**

I awoke to the sound of a cannon. The sky was dark…sunset wasn't too long ago. How long was I out?

I attempted to sit up, my head spinning. A dull ache resonated from the stings on my body and as I looked closer, realized they were healing fast. I saw someone sitting a short distance away, outside of the strange enclosure I was in. It was Bunnie. She and Antoine were hurriedly packing up something and heading back for the tree.

"_Sacre Bleu!_" Antoine exclaimed when he caught sight of me. "_Combien de temps avez-vous été reveille?_"

"English, please, Ant," I groaned.

"How long have you been awake?" he repeated.

"Just a few seconds…" I cast a look outside. "How long…?"

"At least a day, sugar." Bunnie said. "We treated yer stings, too."

"Thank you…" I said. "But you really shouldn't have done that."

"Why not? It is the right thing to do." Antoine said.

I shook my head and stretched, feeling stiff all over. "How many…how many Tributes died?"

"There's been a lot of deaths today." Bunnie said. "To tell ya th' truth, I forgot how many exactly. But they'll be in th' sky soon."

As if on cue, the sky lit up with music and colour. The dead Tributes' pictures were shown across the clouds.

Jet, Wave, Storm, Maria, and Julie-su.

"There's only fourteen Tributes left." Bunnie said.

"We've made it this far," I sighed. "I can't thank you enough for what you've done for me…but I really should be going."

"But why?" Bunnie protested. "You're barely managing to stay awake as it is! At least one more day with us, please. It helps to pass th' time by talkin' to someone new."

Antoine nodded. "_Oui_. And besides, we have a better chance with a larger group."

We talked for most of the night, trying to keep as quiet as possible. We chatted about our Zones and the other Tributes, wondering how everyone back there was doing. I eventually nodded off around the early morning hours, sleeping until the sun decided to shine directly into my face.

Both Bunnie and Antoine were still sleeping. I silently crept out of our shelter, leaving them as if I had never been there. I began walking, keeping a sharp lookout for anyone or anything.

I didn't get far before I heard a shout somewhere up ahead of me. I ducked behind a tree, my knife gripped in my hand. I could hear two Tributes loudly talking…And they were coming my way.

"We can't keep doing this," a voice said…it was Blaze, from Zone 5.

"Why not? We're so close to getting out of these collars!" There was no mistaking Silver's voice either. "All we have to do is kill one Tribute! How hard can it be?"

"We haven't killed anyone before."

"We have to start, Blaze! There's only a few of us left!"

I could hear their shoes crunching on the leaves. Their voices were coming directly behind the tree I was hiding behind.

"How do we know for certain that he will free us? He must know how truly powerful we are…the last thing he needs is competition." Blaze said.

"But the three of us would make an unstoppable team." Silver protested. "We have to do this."

I wanted to keep listening in on them. Had someone taken the key from the Cornucopia? Were they willing to free the other Tributes from their inhibitor collars in exchange for them to do the dirty work? I pushed my thoughts aside as Blaze walked around the side of my tree and turned, surprised to see bright blue among the greens and browns…

Knife at the ready, I acted quickly. I thrust the blade under her chin and locked her arms behind her back with my other arm, twisting her around to face Silver. The hedgehog looked stunned…and terrified.

"Blaze…!" he took a few steps forward, unsure of what to do.

"Don't move." I threatened. "Which Tribute are you out to kill?"

"Silver, get him!" Blaze shrugged my arm up, bringing my knife with it. She ducked under the blade, escaping with a minor cut to the side of her neck. Silver picked up a nearby rock and threw it at me, hitting my blade and twisting it out of my grasp. Blaze brought a foot down on it and shoved me away from it.

"We're sent to kill you." Silver muttered. "We have no choice!" he tugged at the inhibitor ring around his neck. "I'm surprised we've lasted this long…"

"By whom?" I dropped into a fighting stance.

They both hesitated.

"The last Tribute from Zone 10…" Silver started. "Mephiles…"

Blaze snarled, pouncing at me, claws unsheathed. She slashed at my face, missing by inches as I ducked and countered with a punch aimed at her head. Silver gave a yelp and joined the fray, attacks awkward and uncoordinated. It was obvious he hadn't relied much on hand-to-hand combat.

Even still, I had two of them to deal with. I wasn't in the best of shape for it, either. The odds were against me.

I would avoid Blaze's attack and stumble right into Silver's, or I would misjudge both of theirs and end up with two new bruises. I was losing. I didn't have a weapon.

One of Blaze's punches ended up throwing me backward. I hit the back of my head against a tree, making my vision go fuzzy. They were closing in on me, ready to finish me off.

"_HIIIYAAA!_"

A flying ball of yellow knocked Blaze off her feet. Silver stared, as if unsure of what happened, as the little yellow ball came darting back, wielding a small knife…

"Tails…?" I groaned. "Get out of here! What are you doing?"

"I'm saving you, so you gotta come with us now!" the fox shouted, slashing the knife in all directions in front of Silver.

I felt a hand on my shoulder, making me jump. I stared up into the brown eyes of the other Tribute from Zone 2, Sally, as she helped me to my feet. "Come on, we can head back to our shelter."

"I'll help Tails," another voice said behind me. I turned to see the remaining Tribute from Zone 3, Nicole. She was holding a cutlass that was stained with something suspiciously red.

I didn't have the energy to protest. As Sally led me away from the battle, I heard an agonized shout. A few minutes later, a cannon rang out.

**XxXxXxXx**

**ROUGE'S POV**

**XxXxXxXx**

All we had managed to salvage from the Cornucopia was the knife that had been buried in Maria's back. Shadow hadn't touched it from when he had impulsively pulled it out of her spine.

We had spent the night sleepless and on guard. My wing was definitely broken, grounding me from the skies. A parachute arrived early the next morning, carrying things for a makeshift splint and some painkillers.

It was at least midday, and we still hadn't moved. Only when a cannon rang out over the Arena did Shadow finally stand and say, "Come on."

We walked in a random direction, not stopping until the sun began to set. Surprisingly enough, we hadn't run into anyone. We settled inside a hollow tree as the Arena began to get dark. As soon as the sun set below the hills, another cannon pierced the air.

"Someone has died by nightfall for the past three days." I said.

Shadow didn't say anything.

I decided not to keep the conversation going and let it drop. The sky lit up, revealing those who had died from the day.

Blaze, from Zone 5, and Knuckles, from Zone 12.

There were only twelve Tributes left.

I must have dropped off to sleep at some point, because the next thing I knew, I was being shaken awake by my _oh so gentle_ companion.

"Get up."

"Why?" I yawned.

"Do you want to eat?" Shadow headed out of our shelter, into the early morning sunlight.

"Eating is my favourite thing to do." I mumbled, following close behind him.

We didn't stop to eat until the sun was well over the treetops. When we were finally taking a well-deserved rest, a voice announced itself over the Arena.

"_Hello, Tributes!_" the voice of our president said gleefully. "_As you may have noticed, half of you have retired from the Games!_"

"You mean killed?" I growled.

"_The remainder of you have done a spectacular job of staying alive! In order to celebrate this occasion, a feast will be held at the Cornucopia at noon tomorrow! You may find something you desire most!_"

His voice faded out with blasting of music.

Shadow punched his fist into the trunk of a nearby tree, splinters and pieces of wood digging into his knuckles. He didn't say anything for a few minutes.

"Do we go?" I finally asked.

"We have nothing to lose." He spat.

**XxXxXxXx**

Sunset was fast approaching. We had taken shelter near the uppermost point of the Arena, the marshy, swampy land sinking under our feet as we tried to locate a dense tree to spend the night in. I still couldn't fly, and I was quickly running out of painkillers.

Once we were situated in the branches, I leaned against the trunk and tried to get comfortable as Shadow kept watch over the silent swamp. As I was about ready to drop off into sleep, a sound caught my attention.

Footsteps. Quickly approaching.

I sat up and quickly located the source of the sound. He looked like a ghost in the dim light. Silver trudged through the marshy land, his eyes cast at the ground.

"The cat-girl was his companion." Shadow said. "The one who died earlier."

"What's he doing here?" I mumbled to myself.

Silver stumbled, as if in a trance, toward a decaying and rotting pile of branches. He rubbed at his eyes and stood as tall as he could, but I could see the fear and sadness on his face. In a broken voice, he said, "M-mission progress…"

The rotting wood moved; a black, smoke like shape drifted out of it and circled the terrified Tribute, finally stopping in front of him and assuming a form. It was the remaining Tribute from Zone 10, Mephiles.

"We c-couldn't kill him…and…and Blaze…" Silver stuttered, taking a few steps back. "If…if you could just get r-rid of the inhibitor…"

"You failed to kill him? The only Tribute I asked you to kill?" Mephiles hissed. "The one I decided to give you the_ honour_ of killing…?!"

"He…he had backup…" Silver tripped and fell into the spongy ground. "We didn't have a chance…!"

"That is not an excuse." Mephiles said flatly.

"We have to do something…" I muttered.

Shadow didn't say anything. He just had his gaze fixated on the two, as though planning something.

"Give me another chance! I'll kill him!" Silver pleaded.

"You knew the consequences of failing."

"Just one more!"

Mephiles glared. "I've already told you what would happen if you fail." He held out his hand, where a black blade appeared from the smoky blackness he seemed to generate.

"Aren't we going to do something?!" I hissed. I made a move to jump from the tree, but Shadow tightly gripped my arm, preventing me from moving.

Mephiles brought the blade back and struck out with almost surprising speed and force, impaling Silver with the blade and forcing it out between his back spines. The white Tribute went limp as a cannon blasted over the Arena.

Mephiles vanished shortly after in another cloud of smoke.

"Why didn't we do anything?" I nearly shrieked.

"Didn't you see?" Shadow hissed. "He still had an inhibitor collar. He was that powerful even with the restraint. If we are going to overpower him, we need to devise a strategy."

"Between the two of us and Silver, if he were still alive, we could have brought him down!"

"Have you ever tried to stab the smoke from a fire? How about slicing through darkness with a knife? It doesn't work. We need more than force."

I didn't respond, instead directing my gaze to the fallen Tribute. After a few seconds, I laughed curtly. "It looks like we know who conducts these sunset killings now."

**XxXxXxXx**

**ANTOINE'S POV**

**XxXxXxXx**

Only 11 Tributes remained.

As Silver's picture flared across the sky, I couldn't help but feel a rush of excitement and dread. I never dreamed of making it this far into the Games.

"Well, th' feast is t'marrow." Bunnie sighed. "We might as well get some sleep."

I gave a short nod and settled against the tree we were taking shelter under. I assumed the remaining Tributes wouldn't stir up trouble the night before the half-point celebration, but you could never be too sure. As Bunnie slept for a few hours, I kept watch. I could see the Cornucopia from where I was sitting; it was bright with some sort of light. Sometime before noon, a table would somehow be constructed in that clearing.

**XxXxXxXx**

Sunlight was just beginning to filter through the trees when I finally awoke. As I looked back toward the Cornucopia, I was surprised to see a long, oaken table set up in front of the river. It was bare, but I figured that the food or supplies would be dropped off later.

"Look, _regarder_, Bunnie!" I pointed.

"I see it. It's been there fer a while." She said.

"What will zey bring to ze feast?" I wondered aloud.

A sound nearby broke off our conversation. We both turned, searching for danger. I stood and held my saber in a threatening manner, waiting.

"It's just Antoine and Bunnie!" A small voice squeaked above us.

I glanced upward, surprised to see Tails clinging to one of the higher branches of a tree. "What are you doing?" I asked.

"Well, I was supposed to be scouting." Tails said. "But it was boring. So I'm in a tree." He flipped upside down by his legs and swung there, much like a bat. "Are you guys going to the feast?"

"_Oui_," I said.

"Yeah, me too." Tails let go of the branch and began plummeting toward the ground. Bunnie gave a yelp and tried to catch him, but the kit took to the air by his tails, laughing.

"Ha! You should have seen your faces!"

"Sugar, don't be doin' that!" Bunnie gasped. "An' since when did you learn to fly?"

Tails shrugged. "Do you want to go to the feast with Sonic, Sally, Nicole and me?"

Bunnie and I exchanged looks for a few seconds. "Well, with more Tributes on our side for this here feast…I think we should." Bunnie said.

"Yeah, Sally said something about extra protection and all that." Tails landed and walked up to us. "I'm gonna go get them. We'll wait here until the stuff comes for the table over there, and then we'll claim what is rightfully ours!" With a happy skip, he bounced away.

**XxXxXxXx**


	7. Chapter 7

**XxXxXxXx**

**SONIC'S POV**

**XxXxXxXx**

"Tails sure is taking a long time…" Sally muttered.

"Don't worry about him. He can take care of himself." Nicole said.

I sat on a nearby rock and waited. Already, the sun was rising into the sky. We didn't have much time before noon.

In the short time I had established a truce with these Tributes, Tails had ridded me of the inhibitor collar using some type of gadget he had made by disassembling some of the mines that had been placed around the Cornucopia. The kit's inventions didn't stop there, though. He had made a vast array of items using the disabled bombs, many of them designed specifically to take out an individual Tribute. I was currently in charge of guarding the devices as they sat in a pack over my shoulder.

A blur of yellow burst through the trees, startling us.

"Hey!" Tails was bursting with excitement. "Guess what!"

"What?" Sally asked.

"Antoine and Bunnie are also going to the feast!" Tails jumped up and down. "We can go with them! We can all keep each other safe!"

Sally sighed and stood, putting a hand on the hyper fox's shoulder. "Calm down! And yes, that is a good thing."

"Come on! We have to meet up with them again! We don't have that much time!"

"I'll go on ahead." I offered. Before Sally or Nicole could give an answer, I was already running. The wind in my quills felt fantastic. I jumped over logs and rocks as I became a blur, darting in the direction Tails had come from. Before long, I screeched to a stop in front of our two new companions.

"_Sacre bleu!_" Antoine gasped. "Must you be so fast?"

"Sorry," I shrugged. I hefted the pack over my shoulder again. "The others are on their way."

I turned my gaze to the sun, which had nearly reached the midway point. Within a few minutes, the others caught up, breathless.

"Could you be any slower?" I chuckled.

Sally cast me a glare before turning her sight on Antoine and Bunnie. She stepped forward, hand outstretched toward the two of them. "Truce?"

They both nodded, Bunnie shaking her hand. "Truce."

We waited the last few minutes before noon in silence, our gaze fixed on the Cornucopia. Just as the sun had hit the midway point, a small hovercraft descended from the sky and hovered above the long table. It deposited six small bags, each one with a large number painted on the front, before flying away again.

"_And now, Tributes, the moment you've been waiting for! Let the feast commence!_" President Robotnik announced.

We waited a few seconds until Tails pointed to the other side of the clearing. "Look!"

Shadow ran from the cover of the trees toward the table. He snatched up a bag marked with a large number 9 before heading back the way he had come.

"I think the 2 is for us, Nicole." Sally said. "The 7 is for Antoine and Bunnie."

"We'll all go at once." Nicole suggested.

"It'd be better if we only send one person to grab both." I said. "That way, in case something goes…wrong…"

"Safety in numbers." Bunnie shrugged. "I think we have a better chance if we all run for it."

"Can we hurry and decide? Look!" Tails pointed again.

Fiona was circling the treeline, as though more concerned about finding other Tributes than what may be in the bag marked with her Zone. Sally made her decision.

"We'll all go."

"Yeah." Tails glanced out nervously toward the table again. "We should hurry…!"

"I have a better idea." I said in hushed tones. "I'll go and grab both. You guys get out of here. I'll meet you up at the marshes."

"Sonic, wait! What about—" Sally started, but I had already run for the table.

Upon reaching it, I quickly located the bags marked 7 and 2. I grabbed them both and was about to begin running back when a voice stopped me.

"You know, I'm rather surprised you've made it this far."

I turned and was met by a blade inches from my left eye.

"Why are you taking things that don't belong to you?" Scourge sneered, impaling the Zone 7 bag with the blade he was carrying. A water canteen, packaged food, a switchblade and medical supplies fell out of it.

"Back off, Scourge. I don't want to fight." I growled.

Scourge chuckled and impaled the other bag, sending screwdrivers, wires, and all sorts of odds and ends falling out of it. "That's unfortunate. Because I do."

Without much warning, the cold metal of the sword was under my chin, pressing against my throat. I reacted instinctively; bringing my knee up and kicking him back. Scourge stumbled but quickly recovered, allowing me time to snatch the switchblade from the ground. I parried his weapon, the jarring blow he tried to deal nearly knocking my weapon out of my hand.

"Nice scars." I remarked.

He gave an angry hiss and slashed at me again, catching the side of my head and ripping a small, shallow gash into it. I ignored the sting and focused on trying to get around him.

"So where have you been hanging out lately?" I asked. I parried another of his blows, the switchblade pressing hard against the bones of my hand. I could feel bruises forming.

"Didn't you know? We took the Cornucopia." Scourge hissed. I managed to get ahold of the sword's hilt and we wrestled for control of the weapon. "It was th' delayed bloodbath!"

I was losing the battle for the sword. I instead brought up my foot and slammed it into his kneecap, making him stumble and give a short shout of pain. I had room to escape. I kept the switchblade in my hand and gathered up as much fallen supplies as I could, only managing to get ahold of a few screwdrivers. I darted back toward the trees, Scourge shouting fading insults. He didn't pursue.

I ran through the forest, hoping the direction I was going in was north. I hoped the others had made it safely to the swamp…

"Help!"

A cry made me stop. I glanced around the treetops, trying to pinpoint the sound.

A cannon rang out.

I was just about to keep going when the shout came again.  
"Help, someone! I'm stuck!"

Tails…!?

I quickened my stride, heading toward the source of the shout. I eventually stumbled upon a small clearing.

Tails was suspended in a net, struggling to free himself against the thin ropes. He cast me a terrified look, but he seemed to relax slightly. "Sonic! Help!"

"Hold on, buddy…" I began climbing one of the trees the net was attached to. I carefully began cutting through the ropes with the switchblade, letting the screwdrivers I had retrieved fall to the ground.

"I went back to find you! Sally and Nicole are at the swamp…! I was worried and flew after you, and now I'm stuck!"

"It's ok, just stop moving…" I cut through a few more ropes. "I'll have you out in a few seconds…" I cut one side of the net free, forming a hole just big enough for him to escape through.

"_Sonic!_"

His startled shriek nearly knocked me from the tree. "What?" I followed his horrified gaze toward the ground, where Fiona was standing. She was holding a spear on one hand. As I watched, she brought it back and aimed at us, preparing to throw it…

"NO!" I jumped from the tree, using the tree branch to push off of and spin dash toward her. She sidestepped, making me burrow into the ground. I jumped up, switchblade at the ready, just as she threw the spear.

My blade sunk into her neck. I heard a tiny gasp of fear, and then nothing at all. As her body slumped to the ground, a cannon rang out.

I slowly backed away from her. I felt numb…I had actually killed someone. "Tails…?" I sighed at last. "Are you ok?"

I turned toward the fox kit, dread dropping like a lead ball into my stomach. The spear Fiona had thrown was buried in the net, a small trail of red dripping off the end of it. Tails gave a small gasping sound before pitching forward out of the small hole, falling limply toward the ground.

I acted instantly, darting below him to soften his fall. He fell into my arms, the spear dislodged from the net. A gaping, bleeding wound was present on his right side.

"Tails…!" I dropped to my knees. "Tails…?! Are you ok?"

The fox gave a soft cough. He tried desperately to focus his eyes on me, a tiny whimper rising in his throat. "Sonic…is she ok? You…didn't kill her…did you?"

I gently lay him on the ground. "Stop talking, you need to save your breath! I have something that can help!" I slung the pack from my shoulder and rummaged through it, finding nothing but his inventions. Nothing to stop the bleeding. Nothing.

"Sonic, can you use those…? Make sure the…other Tributes don't hurt…Sally and Nicole…"

I felt angry, grieved tears well up in my eyes. "Yes…ok." I dropped the pack and retrieved a bundle of moss that was growing on a nearby rock. I pressed it to Tails' bleeding side, but within seconds, it was already soaked through with his blood.

"I…got something for you from the Cornucopia." I said. "I hope you like it."

I pressed one of the screwdrivers into his hands. Tails tightened his fist around it as a smile grew on his face. "Thank you, Sonic…! I'll…build something with it…something good…"

I couldn't stop the tears from flowing out of my eyes. I turned away in case he could see and wiped them from my face. "Yes. Do that."

"It will be a…a generator." Tails' grin was still on his face. "A generator to…power our home here…in the…Arena."

His eyes began to close, but the smile was still there. "Then…we can…win…all four of us…"

His head tilted to the side as a raspy sound rose from his throat. After that, he breathed no more. A cannon rang out.

**XxXxXxXx**

**ANTOINE'S POV**

**XxXxXxXx**

"Three cannons?" I gasped.

Bunnie cast me a worried look before standing, saying, "Come on…they sounded close. We should keep going."

Beside us, Sally fidgeted nervously. "They should be back by now…!"

We circled the swamp at least twice, but there was still no sign of the others. Darkness began to fall, making the already dim marshes look as though nightfall had decided to come early.

The sky lit up with the days' deaths, but I already had a terrible feeling about who they would portray among the stars.

Three Tributes were shown. Nicole…Fiona…and…

"_NO_!" Sally screamed as Tails' picture shown down on us. She buried her face in her hands and cried silently, her entire body shaking with grief.

"Poor sugar…" Bunnie muttered. "An' Nicole…"

"_Peuvent-ils reposer en paix_," I whispered.

It wasn't long before a shape emerged from the darkness, slowly walking over to us. I leaped up, my sword in hand, shouting.

"It's just me, Ant," Sonic said in a broken voice. "I'm sorry…"

He sat next to Sally, trying to comfort her sobs.

Bunnie and I left them some space as we kept a wary watch on the Arena around us. I doubted we would be ambushed…there were simply not enough Tributes left. The Gamemasters would no doubt push us together at some point…we would have no choice but to kill or be killed.

"Oh, Bunnie, I have a bad feeling about zis." I muttered.

She nodded, her gaze directed at the ground. "Before, I actually believed…th't we could win…An' now…I suppose th' harsh reality finally sunk in."

We stood in silence for a while, watching the Arena around us. Sally had grown quiet, eventually falling asleep against Sonic's shoulder. We joined them, huddled together, for the rest of the night.

**XxXxXxXx**

**ROUGE'S POV**

**XxXxXxXx**

There was no mistaking the feeling of panic that hung over the Arena like a dense cloud. Even I was impacted by it. I was exhausted, and yet I couldn't sleep. I was paranoid for no apparent reason.

"You should at least try to sleep." Shadow said.

"I can't." I said stiffly.

We were sitting under a dense canopy of leaves, so only a few stars were visible through the branches. I focused on one, watching it twinkle. "What was it like," I began, "before the Hunger Games?"

Shadow didn't reply for a few seconds. "We didn't have to live like we do now."

"What do you mean by that?"

"We were…free. We could live wherever we wanted; do whatever we wanted. We weren't confined to the Zones."

"Ah. Sounds like paradise." I felt there was more he wasn't telling me, but I didn't really care. I had enough information to make a mental picture of what it might have been like.

"It seems as though it's been years since the beginning of this Game." Shadow muttered. "How much longer is it going to go on?"

A stick snapped outside our shelter, making me jump. I held my breath, trying to pinpoint our enemy. Something…was different, though. The other Tributes I knew didn't breathe with a wheezing, gasping sound.

"We need to run," Shadow whispered. "That isn't something that can be fought against in your current state."

"What is it?" my heart was pounding.

"It's a mutt. Get ready…run to the Cornucopia clearing."

A mutt?! I remembered when I had been little…I had watched the Games without my mother's permission. A creature had attacked and killed three of the Tributes…a mutated, savage creature known as a mutt by everyone in the Zone. I had nightmares for years to come.

"Go," Shadow commanded.

We both ran from our shelter, bolting as fast as we could across the forest. I barely had time to dodge around trees in my panic. If only my wing wasn't broken…

A low growling sounded behind me. I didn't dare look back.

"Keep going!"

I could feel hot breath on the back of my neck. I didn't dare stop, even though my legs were straining to keep moving. I burst into the Cornucopia clearing, closely following Shadow, who was a little ways in front of me. He glanced back, eyes flicking to something over my shoulder. Across the clearing…was that another Tribute?

"Rouge, look out!"

Something hit the back of my knee, knocking my balance out. I fell to the ground, twisting around to face the thing.

It looked like a bear. A massive, molted bear with teeth of a lion. Its eyes were red and bleeding, as though it had run into some trouble before finding us. It pressed a massive paw on my stomach, keeping me from escaping its grasp. Its long, curved claws cut through my clothes, piercing my flesh.

"Shadow! Get it off me!" I slammed my fist into its nose, making it howl with pain. It didn't back up. I delivered another punch to its face, but it only seemed to anger it more. With a loud cry a cross between a roar and a yowl, it buried its teeth into my shoulder.

If I thought I knew pain before, I was wrong.

I screamed, punching at its eye as hard as I could. The mutt only bit harder, its teeth scraping my bone. A flash of something orange struck its hide, leaving a scorched mark. It finally released me, howling.

"Rouge!" Shadow grabbed my uninjured arm and hauled me to my feet. I couldn't focus on him…the pain was making my eyesight come and go at a dizzying rate…

Shadow threw another Chaos Spear at the mutt, making it turn and limp back toward the forest. My companion never gave it a chance to reach it. With another Spear in the back of its neck, it collapsed, dead.

"Aagh…!" I didn't dare touch the open wound. Blood was staining my entire left side dark red. Something green was lacing the wound, foaming when it came in touch with my blood.

"Rouge, we have to wash it out. Its teeth were lathered in some sort of chemical…it's just going to make it worse."

I couldn't form proper words.

"Come on…" Shadow was dragging me toward the river, supporting most of my weight.

"No…no, don't…" I choked out. "Just leave me…"

"I will not just leave you to die!" he spat.

"…Better chance without me…"

"Shut up! You're not thinking clearly!"

We had reached the river. Shadow lay me on my stomach, tilting my injured shoulder into the water.

The cold liquid hurt more than the actual mutt. I think my scream was silent as I tried to pull away from my companion and the water. Shadow held onto my arm firmly until he was certain the chemical was out of my wound.

"It's out," he said at last. "You're going to be fine."

"That…really…hurt…" I spat out between clenched teeth.

"Be thankful it wasn't life threatening."

He helped me stand, leading me toward the nearest group of trees. "We should get to some shelter."

Just as we reached the treeline, a voice said from within the darkness, "You managed to escape?"

We both froze, unsure of who had spoken.

A dark shape moved within the trees, forming itself in front of us. Despite my pain, I managed to growl out, "You again?"

Mephiles cast me an almost gleeful look. "You know, I've meant to be rid of you for some time now. I believe your misfortune has finally caught up to you."

He moved quickly…too quickly for me to dodge in my weakened state. With one smooth, devastating motion, he conjured that black blade from the darkness he was made of and thrust it at me.

I felt the blade pierce my chest. It was cold…like ice. The cold was spreading throughout my body, ridding it of all heat. Shadow was shouting. Mephiles was laughing. Just as my life was ending, I heard the cannonshot.

I heard my own death.

**XxXxXxXx**

** Yeah, the conclusion is coming up shortly.**

** The remaining Tributes are Sonic, Sally, Antoine, Bunnie, Scourge, Mephiles, and Shadow. This is gonna be good.**

** Remember to Review! I think at this point I'll take votes for who will win these Games!**

** Hasta la Vista, Readers!**

** Lordodtheghostking28**


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